There Has to Be More to It
by year of the fox
Summary: We're all familiar with Seto Kaiba's set agenda, which even she couldn't change, not that she'd ever try to. She was just a part of the wrong family, and his shield of irritation won't protect him from her sweet silence.
1. Plans

**So if you've been to my profile or follow me, you know this isn't exactly new. It is the first fic of my IC Kaiba romance series, but now much better. The old one has always been my least favorite of the series. As the first fic I ever wrote I find it rather cringeworthy. However, after rewriting it, I now feel much better about it. The beginning is probably the most similar to the original, but I hope you all enjoy it. Please let me know what you think!**

 **Also, I strongly DON'T suggest you read the old one until you've ready them all, if you must read it at all. Otherwise, it could get confusing and you're going to run into a lot of continuity errors. Once I finish this fic on Christmas, I will be replacing several chapters a day sequentially in the others as I did a bit of embellishing with small modifications as well, but not enough to republish. Once again I will go back to updating daily.**

 **Kaiba philosophy/what's up with this story:**

I find Seto Kaiba's character fascinating. When reading fanfiction, I always found it disheartening and a tad frustrating when he was doing something OOC. I understand why authors do it as it's hard to get him to do anything. That's why I wrote these, with the challenge of keeping him in character and to do the hardest thing of all for SK: fall in love. I won't lie, he's a bitch to write for, but it turned out to be quite fun, hence why this turned into a decently long series. I think I did a halfway-decent job of keeping him in character in the first one but was so focused on it that the actual plot fell to the wayside. Hence this fic.

In terms of the girl, I just can't see him with any of the canon characters. No, not even Kisara, not after he went through the emotional torture that his stepfather dealt him and he became Kaiba. This actually made me a little sad, but I read a theory recently that I absolutely love and made me feel better (and I do touch on it much later). That only left an OC, but how do you create a girl for such a bad-ass character that would actually meet his standards without going over the top? I mean, it's hard enough to just write someone who doesn't annoy him and he finds worthy of talking to. Well, I tried, you all can tell me if I did ok or not, but let's just get to the story now, shall we? As always, enjoy.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!**

* * *

 _Kaiba_

 _What a fool_ , I gloated, staring down at Obelisk. I was back in my home office, my eyes fixed on the card in my hand. There was no way Yugi could beat me with this, and with two more Egyptian God cards out there my deck would only become more powerful. His defeat would be _crushing_.

I was ready to design this tournament. The only thing that bothered me about it was that cretin had the original idea and had asked me to carry it out. I was tired of people trying to elicit things from me. She was just lucky this fit into my agenda.

To make up for this, I comforted myself with the fact that this would all be for me. She just gave me the information, but I set the path to my victory. I would plan this tournament, but first I would learn everything about this card and how to integrate it seamlessly into my deck.

"Hey bro, your schedule came," Mokuba informed as he entered my home office unannounced, waving the envelope in the air.

"Not now, Mokuba," I countered, irritated. School was the last thing I wanted to think about now.

"Watcha got there?" Mokuba asked, coming over to me. "And what happened with that woman from the museum last night?"

"She told me everything I need to know to defeat Yugi," I remarked smugly. I was about to get everything I wanted.

* * *

 _Jemmea_

I stood, looking down at the bit of water between the white fiberglass and weathered wood. My boat was one of the few places I felt safe. I had been sea bound for a while now, making sure to have my voyage be a long one as I loved it.

I briefly considered just stepping back and returning to the sea, but I knew I couldn't stay there forever. That was only meant to be temporary and I had already managed to secure hotel room, the trick would just be finding it, especially as I was unfamiliar with Domino. From there I could find an apartment.

As I considered all this, the wind huffed and the boom struck me on the back of the calves, knocking me forward onto the dock, no doubt leaving a lovely bruise on my fair skin. _Well, I guess that settles that dilemma,_ I thought as I caught myself. I turned, being quick to grab my boat so I could tie her up. Once secured, I de-rigged her and gathered my few bags. I glanced down, catching the fancy _Jemini_ etched on the side of the boat. I had chosen it when I was a bit more juvenile, and it was about time I changed it anyway. I'd have to get to that quickly.

This would be good, it would be new, and it would be my first time on my own in a city. I did not like people, but cities were less intimate. I was excited to just be a number. I could hide here, at least for now. If anything did happen, I had found that society was rather protective of young girls. I just had to make sure I could be loud enough to ask for help. I was a runaway, and I was determined to stay that way.

I planned to finish high school, at the very least. I liked learning, it was the people who made me apprehensive about the experience. I had considered homeschooling myself, but that's what my father would expect, so I made the compromise thinking public school was better than having no say in my life.

With my bags slung around me as best I could, I left her. I headed for the concrete of the city, double checking that I had my sailing wedges on. They didn't catch like heels and would be safe from the cracks between the boards. As I got closer to the buildings, I felt smaller. There were people, but not one turned their head toward me. I took a deep breath. _This might just work._

* * *

 **Next Chapter** : Begin Again

"Oh, ya new? Yeah, it's down- well, it's kinda hard to find. But I'm a nice guy and will take some time to show ya. Anda, by the way, I'm Joey." _Awesome,_ I thought sarcastically. He was being too friendly.


	2. Begin Again

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* * *

 _Jemmea_

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE-SLAM! _Agh. Not the way to wake up in the morning._

I opened my eyes slowly to see my dark, undecorated bedroom. Grey shadows crept across the high white walls, as I suspected they did every morning.

 _Now that I'm here, I should consider finding a place I like better,_ I thought. I didn't want to stay in that hotel forever.

My place was small, but it felt open because it was exceptionally bare. The previous tenants had left a couch under a window looking down three stories to the street. I had no real possessions—my bed and night table were the only pieces of furniture I owned. This was not a consequence of a lack of funds, but rather my avoidance of shopping due to my extreme dislike of social interaction.

Despite disliking people, I had always thought I would like city life, and after living here for two weeks, I could attest to it. The people were colder, caught up in their business and less likely to start up a conversation with me. No one would bother to keep tabs on me; I was just a number here. With a need to get away, I just left as quickly as I could. I hadn't done much research on the culture of Domino; I didn't think it mattered as I had no plans to take part in it. I chose Domino because of its size and warm weather.

At seventeen perhaps it should have felt strange to be living alone, but I found it delightfully peaceful and freeing. I had it with my father. He had sent me to a prestigious boarding school which I eventually came to enjoy. However, as soon as I warmed up to the school, my father pulled me out. I still had no reason why, knowing him he was probably bored. Then he briefly sent me to finishing school. It did not take, being beyond tedious and frustrating I found ways to be as rude and awful as possible. It wasn't long before I was expelled. Once I was back home, I could no longer tolerate the demands of my father and successfully fled from him.

Here, nobody disturbed me. I was independent. I still planned to finish high school. I had done well at my previous _school,_ the real one, after I came around to it. My success along with the reputation of the school earned me a spot in a handful of advanced classes and kept me on track to graduate. And today was the first day.

Rubbing my eyes, I twisted my body and softly placed my feet on the ground. I adjusted my camisole, twisted from sleep, as I slowly walked to the bathroom. I switched on the bathroom light and leaned forward, placing my palms on either side of the sink.

I stared at myself in the mirror. The blue in my eyes and the hint of yellow in my hair were all that was keeping me from being albino. My hair refused to be anything but straight, currently stretching to right above my bust. I turned my head from side to side for a brief self-evaluation, noticing the shadows and contours of my face, then leaned back and lifted my palms from the sink. Without having to reach far, I turned on the water for the shower, hoping the warm water would soothe my nerves. Before I stepped in, I pulled my tank top over my head and tossed it on the pile acting as my hamper, followed by my boy-shorts.

As I let the warm water soak through me, I thought about what my first day at an ordinary public school would be like. My brother, the only person who knew where I was, had assured me public school was not that bad, but he had a lot more interest in socializing and being around other people than I did. My father tried to send me to public school, but quickly gave up as I was too unruly, so it was tutors for me. I really had no interest in other people at all and avoided them to the best of my ability. The only person in my life that I truly cared about and could tolerate was my brother. I did not even get along with my younger sister. I suppose it was possible that Jude and I only had the connection we did because we were twins. I felt my heart sink a little as I thought of him. _Great, now I'm starting to miss him._

I turned the water off and stepped out. Once I was ready, I found my clothes. This new uniform was not nearly as nice as my former one—more preppy than sophisticated. I was not thrilled with the design and considered wearing an alternative of my own. I decided against it as I envisioned myself standing out as the only student out of uniform.

I had strongly considered trying to homeschool myself, but I knew that was expected of me. It was also a lot more regulated than calling a school and pretending to be my mom, as they only required some paperwork and no face-to-face meetings.

By habit, I tied the blue bow the way I had for my day class uniform. I put on a headband to push my hair out of my face just enough, then finished getting ready. I checked myself over to make sure I looked neat and professional, grabbed an apple, and headed for the door.

I felt a rush of warm morning air as I opened my building's door. It was one of the lingering hot days before it started to cool down, but this early in the morning it was simply warm. _Seems like a good start_.

Finishing my apple, I tossed the core on the ground and unlocked my car. As I drove, I found myself relieved that I had decided to go through with the purchase. I had probably been the easiest sell the dealer ever had. I had been anxious to get the sale over with, so when the dealer asked me what kind of car I wanted, all I said was, " _Reliable, high quality,_ " with my price range being, " _Anything._ " I said yes to the first car he showed me, quickly wrapping up the deal. Credit checks didn't matter when paying in cash.

I hit my blinker for a left turn, then sat and waited as I watched the long line of traffic I was supposed to yield to. Sighing, I turned on the stereo to have the pure strings of an orchestra accompany me while I waited, leaning back and readjusting in my seat. I liked being enclosed and alone, permitted to ignore and lock out others. The only thing that bothered me about driving was traffic.

Once I scooted around the last car, I drove for a few more minutes before I saw the school. It looked a lot different compared to my boarding schools. I was used to a campus with old, grand buildings—this was modern, yet a bit run down and seemed to have everything encompassed under one roof. The only thing that seemed similar was the fence that enveloped the grounds, which were small, but the parking lot was sizable.

Hoping to avoid the end of the day traffic, I parked closest to the exit for a quick escape as there only seemed to be one way in and out. I grabbed my bag and swung the strap over my shoulder as I climbed out, locking my car behind me. While I walked towards the school, I dug into my bag and exchanged my keys for my schedule.

Kids were running around everywhere. I was too busy focusing on avoiding them to study my schedule. It was the first day of school for everyone and students were out in the beautiful weather, comparing their schedules or screwing around with their friends before class. Just like my brother. Perhaps that was why he liked school so much—he certainly did not like it for academic reasons.

I did my best to look occupied and unapproachable as I worked my way past the masses. Once I made my way into the building, I noticed there were lockers upon lockers everywhere. _I'll have to find that later, too_. While I was drifting and again rereading my schedule, I bumped into this kid with a chunk of blonde hair and disheveled uniform.

"Excuse me," I said quietly, hardly turning my head to look at him, let alone my body, but he quickly demanded my attention.

"Hey! Watch where..." He spotted me and his attitude changed. "Oh, hi. It's alright. I don't mind," he said as he studied me. "I've never seen ya before, ya look lost. Can I help ya with anythin'?"

"Perhaps. Could you tell me where Room 109 is?" Notice how I did not say please. As you can tell, charm school worked wonders on me.

"Oh, ya new? Yeah, it's down- well, it's kinda hard to find. But I'm a nice guy and will take some time to show ya. Anda, by the way, I'm Joey." _Awesome,_ I thought sarcastically. He was too friendly.

"No, no. It's fine. If you could just point me in the right direction-"

"Naw you don't have to be polite. It's no problem at all," he declared as he began to walk. I was annoyed that I had come off as polite when I was trying to get rid of him.

I did not want to accept his offer, but I seemed to have no choice. He had a dumb grin on his face as he moved closer and held his arm behind me, making me feel as though I was being herded. I was careful to keep my distance as I moved with him down the hall. _Please do not let this room be far_.

 _Joey_

I tried to pay attention to where we were goin, but my new companion kept distractin' me. She was ratha pretty. _Keep focused Joey_ , I thought, catchin' myself. She carried her schedule and had a messenger bag slung over one shoulder. "Can I carry dat for ya?" I pointed at her bag.

"No, I'm fine," she replied.

 _Right, be cool_. "So, ah, where're ya from?" I asked her.

"Away," she replied, keeping her eyes straight ahead.

"Must be hard goin' to a new school n' all. It ain't dat bad here. Hey, if ya need anytin, let me know. Joey Wheeler's your guy!" I spotted my friends chattin' and caught my best bud Tristan's eye. His eyes bugged out when he spotted her. He smirked and nodded in approval. "Here's ya stop," I announced, turnin' to her. But she did not do the same.

"Thanks." She started on her way into the room, still witout lookin' at me. She didn't really say much. _Must be shy, first day 'n all._

"Hey, wait." She stopped and turned around to look at me.

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"What's ya name?" I realized I forgot to ask.

"Jemmea," she huffed and turned fast before I could say anything else.

 _Alright, I have her name and where she is in the mornin. I think I'll try to find her lata._ I turned around to greet my friends and tell them about my last five minutes.

"Dude!" I saw Tristan running towards me. "That's a real nice try on finding a girl to distract me from your sister, but it's not happening."

"Hey, back off, Tristan."

"Hey, guys?" Téa interrupted as she and Yugi caught up. Yugi stood beside her quietly, clutchin the straps on his backpack. Téa struck her ratha dainty stance, standin on one foot while the otha toe of her platform touched the floor. "Can we cool it, please?"

"Nothing to cool," Tristan replied. "Though I will admit, that girl was really pretty..."

"Yeah, she was."

We turned to Yugi, expecting him to get in on our conversation. "Ahhhhh..." was all he managed to say. He looked aside and seemed to shrug a lil. I think it had somethin to do wit the glare Téa was givin him.

 _Jemmea_

 _How irritating,_ I thought as I turned and walked into room 109, which was _not_ hard to find. There were a bunch of kids just standing around talking, seeing who was in their homeroom this year. Some kids noticed me and nudged their buddies. I paid no attention as eyes followed me to a seat in the back of the room. People staring at me made me uncomfortable—I liked to stay under the radar. I looked at my schedule, then at the clock. There were less than five minutes until the bell rang again, not enough time to do anything. The teacher leaned on his desk, paper and pencil in hand, and started to take attendance.

"Lane," the teacher began. His voice was loud, but he seemed more relaxed in his posture.

"Here." The kid looked up for about two seconds before getting lost in his conversation again.

The teacher continued and eventually called, "Lee." It took me a minute to respond. I had changed my last name recently as part of my fresh start.

"Present," I responded. My brother had told me that he just never responded, his reasoning being that when he skipped school, they just wouldn't notice. We got a lot of calls from his school. The corners of my lips turned up the tiniest bit thinking of him but then resumed their straight-line default. I stayed still as I quietly waited for the bell to ring, making it a point to stare at the paper I turned over in my hands. Accidental eye contact could lead to unwanted conversations.

The teacher finished taking attendance. He set the clipboard down and introduced himself, but was shortly interrupted by the bell. While the other kids left I turned my schedule back to read properly, giving them a minute so as not to get caught in the shuffle. _Let's see, I have Reading with Mrs. Dobson in 121. I think I can find that, and without Joey's help._ I stood, grabbing the strap on my bag. It caught on my shoulder as I stood, finally able to leave in the last trickle of students.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Forced

"I know you do nothing on the first day, so take this opportunity to get to know one another. Talk and get it out of your systems, because after this we have a lot of material to cover." I thought this meant we had unregimented time, and the boy, my obvious partner, was still reading. Relieved and delighted, I took out my book that I carried with me for spare moments.

"No, no, Miss-" the teacher glanced at his attendance sheet, "Miss Lee." He must have recognized the others. "I want to see you talking. This will be the only opportunity to talk, so take it. That goes for you too, Mr. Kaiba."


	3. Forced

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* * *

 _Jemmea_

The hall was just a swarming mass of kids walking with their friends and paying no attention to where they were going. I wove my way through the masses and found room 121. All on my own.

The classroom was beginning to fill up. This one, like my homeroom, was rather dull and filled with solitary desks. That I could appreciate at least. With the idea of 'out of sight, out of mind,' I chose a seat towards the back of the room again.

A short kid with spiked, multi-colored hair walked in and I noticed him immediately—how could I not? A girl with short brown hair, accompanied him, seemingly his friend as she looked down over her shoulder and smiled at him as they chatted, settling in desks beside one another. The boy wore a chain around his neck to support a golden puzzle. It was odd, and something about it made me uncomfortable. I turned my attention away.

The class seemed to consist of varying class levels. I remembered when I had chosen my classes that the English classes were open to multiple grades.

The teacher entered the class. She was very thin, her bones showing through her limp older skin. Her straight greyish-brown hair was held in a bun at the back of her head. She wore a large smile on her thin lips.

"Hello, class!" Her voice was high and soft. A few kids murmured their greetings back to her. "To get to know each other better, and to help me remember your names, we are going to go around the room. Please state your name, and something you like that starts with the same letter as your name." _Oh no, not this. Just stand up there and lecture, please!_ But I had no such luck. I could see why my brother did not particularly mind public school, but I was finding it dreadful. "Who wants to go first? How about you, dear?" she asked the multicolored-haired kid.

"Um, ok. My name is Yugi and, let's see, I like yellow, I guess."

The girl next to him went next. "I'm Téa and I like tap-dancing." The teacher nodded and smiled. She shifted her glance to the next victim. While the rest of the class went, I thought. I knew what my brother would say, 'My name is Jude and I like jazz.' Wow, I just could not stop thinking about him today. Eventually, the rest of the room had gone and I was the only one left. Many of them turned to look at me.

"My name is Jem," I said dryly. I hated this.

"I'm sorry dear, I couldn't hear you because you're very quiet. Could you say that again?" the teacher requested.

"My name is Jemmea," I huffed, speaking louder than before. I still played with my schedule in my hands, discreetly casting my eyes down.

"And what do you like, dear?"

"I liked Jack London," I answered almost like a question, turning my palms up slightly.

"Oh, so your name starts with a 'J' and not a 'G'?" she asked, sounding as though it could be a question or remark.

 _I'm in a literature class and you are more interested in my first initial than me being the first person to mention something about literature so far? THAT'S what you've taken too?_ I decided to give her a chance to redeem herself and at least seem like she would be able to teach me something. I would settle for her to even know what I was talking about at this point, now beginning to worry that this class would not be rousing in the least.

"Yes, like Jem Finch," I replied, trying my best to keep my irritation out of my tone—and barely succeeding.

 _Awesome, I somehow drew more attention to myself by just saying my given name. Maybe I should change that too,_ I thought to myself bitterly, probably fretting over it more than I should.

"It seems we have a literary classics fan here!" she enthused as she turned away. Why couldn't she have just smiled and nodded like everyone else?

The teacher continued on about something else, but I was fretting over what happened so much that I didn't hear her. I sat, giving my schedule the glare that was meant for her. But that only lasted a couple of minutes.

The bell rang and I could not believe we took up an entire period just saying our names. The class slowly left and I looked once again at my schedule. Science was next, and I noticed it was the advanced course. Hopefully, it would be a much-needed improvement.

 _Yugi_

 _She said her name was Jemmea or Jem,_ I thought as I walked with Téa. _So that was the girl Joey was talking to this morning. I spotted her glancing at my puzzle. It seemed to make her uneasy._

 _'Yes, I noticed the same thing,'_ a deep voice replied.

Téa was watching me think.

"So Yugi, what do you think of the new girl?" she asked.

"I'm not sure yet, Téa."

"Yugi, do you think she seems familiar?"

I stopped to look at her. "What do you mean?"

She stopped too and turned towards me. I had to stare up at her. I was a small guy, and her platform shoes made her feel like a giantess.

"I feel like I've seen her somewhere before. I just can't put my finger on it," she replied, looking up and bringing a finger to her cheek as she tried to place her.

"Well, there's definitely something peculiar about her..." I let my voice trail off as I thought for a moment. I collected myself and said, "Anyway, I'll see you at lunch Téa."

"Yeah, you too Yugi."

 _Jemmea_

 _This should be better. At least the people will be smart... right?_ I opened the door to see a small empty classroom with the exception of two people. The first was the teacher working at his desk, the second a brunette boy, probably tall with his long arms and legs. He was reading at a desk in the far front corner of the room and looked like he was deep in his book, so I sat down next to him. I did not know who would come in next, so he was one guaranteed quiet neighbor. I tried to extend the courtesy, trying to walk a bit softer to muffle the click of my heels in the silent room. I whirled around stiffly, pivoting on my soles and sliding into my seat. I glanced out of the corner of my eye as I settled to make sure he was still immersed. Thankfully, he was, and I felt safe from conversation.

There were only eight other students who came in and separated themselves from us.

After the bell rang, the teacher told us that we could talk amongst ourselves. "I know you do nothing on the first day, so take this opportunity to get to know one another. Talk and get it out of your systems, because after this we have a lot of material to cover." I thought this meant we had unregimented time and the boy, my obvious partner, was still reading. Relieved and delighted, I took out my book that I carried with me for spare moments.

"No, no, Miss-" the teacher glanced at his attendance sheet, "Miss Lee." He must have recognized the others. "I want to see you talking. This will be the only opportunity to talk, so take it. That goes for you too, Mr. Kaiba."

"So close..." I muttered to myself, returning my book to my bag.

Before I sat back up, I heard the boy next to me refute strongly, "My time is far too valuable to be wasted with trivial chit chat."

"Mr. Kaiba," the teacher responded casually, seeming to occupy himself with the papers on his desk, "when you get the syllabus next class, you'll see that I made sure to include student compliance a part of your grade. Think of it as your personal challenge."

As I sat up I looked over to see the boy glaring at the teacher dangerously.

"Mr. Kaiba, it's my understanding that you're still on track to be valedictorian. I'm sure you wouldn't want that to go to waste because of something so… trivial."

After a moment he snapped his book shut, setting it down on his desk. His eyes stayed fixed on the teacher a moment longer.

"So..." the boy began darkly as he started to turn his gaze towards me. I turned to look at him.

Our eyes met. He had the purest blue eyes I had ever seen, like the ocean on a cloudless day... They drew me in like the sea they rivaled. This was maybe the first time I had made eye contact with another in a while. He was not as captivated as I was, it seemed, as he darted his eyes away to continue to give me minimal attention. So far, he was delightful.

 _Kaiba_

When I distastefully turned to my partner I was stunned. I had completely ignored this person, as I did all others, and now found myself faced with a girl. Girls were a bit harder for me to interact with, knowing that any insults I hurled would be met with greater backlash from the men around us and I just didn't want to deal with that. Nor was insulting them quite as fun. It was also rare that I had any sort of business with them making any interactions a waste.

Now I was forced to interact with one, and a rather pretty one at that. The only difference pretty made was that they were occasionally harder to ignore entirely. I was still a man, which only made such discoveries disruptive and inconvenient. However, my spite always came through, balancing any draw I may have had towards them with an even disdain for it to be there in the first place. She, however, I found stunning, and I knew her gorgeous sky-blue eyes and pale complexion were only working against me. What she said next didn't help in my active pursuit of disliking her.

"You know, I actually sat next to you because I _didn't_ think you'd talk to me," she mentioned. "And now here we are." After forcefully turning my eyes from her I glanced back at this. Her body was twisted towards me, but she spoke to her hands, seemingly a bit shy. I tried to find something to dislike about this but only found it endearing. She apprehensively lifted her eyes to me. "I'm Jemmea."

If I was having a harder time disliking her, I could still fix it by having her dislike me. "What the hell kind of name is that?" I refuted.

She only shrugged and again glanced away, it seeming to make her uncomfortable to look at another for any extended period of time. "A ridiculous one," she answered simply. She wasn't offended but perfectly amicable. "However after I read _To Kill a Mockingbird_ I liked my name better because of Jem Finch."

"So I could call you Jem? Like the jewel?" I challenged.

"I prefer not to identify with a gemstone. They seem too superficial and delicate, but yes, you may call me Jem if you wish." Silence again. We were both terrible at this. "Um, so what's your first name?" she tried.

"Seto." I glanced at the teacher. He was still monitoring us.

"And what are your interests?"

"Duel Monsters. I'm assuming you don't play considering you had to ask my name," I returned glancing back over at her with hard eyes.

"Does that mean you're kind of a big deal in the community?" she devised. I nodded. "How big are we talking? Like big enough to meet the creator?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Yes, I know him," I replied darkly. "We're not close."

She sensed something was wrong and quickly changed the topic. "So yeah, I tend to read a lot. What do you have there?" she asked, gesturing to my book.

"It's a book on the intricacies of holographic systems."

She nodded. "Fancy." Quiet again. She pulled a new topic.

"What is it like here?"

It was then that I realized I did not recognize her because she was new and not simply because I overlooked all the others at this school. "It's filled with trivial people and a huge waste of time. That's really all there is to say about it."

I tried not to make eye contact but found myself instead looking at her legs. I caught myself quickly and looked up, hoping she hadn't noticed, but her eyes were cast aside. This was the first time I had acknowledged another person's presence since, well, I don't even know when.

"I get that. It's actually rather nice to hear that you're essentially the valedictorian. My last class was so painful."

We continued our small talk, drawn out by pauses until the bell rang.

She stood up gracefully and pulled for words one last time. "Well... nice... meeting you," she finally constructed.

I said nothing. She looked at me a moment before she departed. I turned back to collect my book and my briefcase, keeping one eye on her as she left the room. I would have to watch myself around her, and I very much didn't care for it.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Evade

"Yug, outta my way! I don't care how we settle dis! Cards or fists, let's go, Kaiba!"


	4. Evade

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* * *

 _Jemmea_

 _So those classes were unproductive_ , I thought. I looked at my schedule for the millionth time that day. One would think I would have memorized it by now. It told me I was supposed to be at lunch... at 10:50. Do they really serve lunch that early?

I started to walk, but then I realized that I didn't know where I was supposed to go. There was a girl with wild orange, curly hair and green eyes. She looked reliable enough, so I asked her where the cafeteria was.

"Yep, it's just right down that way and take a left," she answered, smiling and pointing. "Big double doors, you can't miss it."

"Straight, take a left, doors. Yeah, ok, I have it. Thank you."

"No problem," she smiled and left. Painless.

I passed hoards of cliques as I made my way and eventually found big double doors, just as the girl described. Kids were rushing in and out, babbling about pointless concerns. I entered to only be harassed by my earlier welcoming committee.

"Hey, Jem!" Joey called. I turned to him, trying to show all of my displeasure at this. "So we have da same lunch. Dis is great! If ya need to know anytin', I'll help ya out. But if ya need to know anytin' about lunch, Joey Wheeler's ya man!" He jabbed a thumb at his chest to indicate himself.

I just looked at him, annoyed. "Yes, because as hard as that can be-" I began, but before I could finish he put his hand behind my back again.

I couldn't handle this again. Touching- no, grabbing- it only had bad memories. Reflexively, I moved away very quickly, out of his reach. "No," I said out loud, exasperated. "I can't- I can't-" I felt so anxious I couldn't even finish the thought. I needed to distance myself from him.

Looking around for a safe, secluded place, my heart sank as I saw all the tables were substantially full… except for one. It was only occupied by the delightfully self-absorbed boy from earlier. I quickly walked over and set my bag down next to an accompanying chair. He seemed annoyed and did not look up at me. "Look, kid, what do you want?" he asked coldly.

"A quiet space," I replied passively. I sat down around the corner from him. He stopped typing and looked over. I didn't think I was who he was expecting. My hands hovered in the air, still feeling exasperated. "I just-" I took a breath and shook my head, "I need a minute. So far you have been right about this place and I would really appreciate it if we didn't talk this time. I have had way too much drivel for one day." At this I went to my bag, ready to extract my phone and furiously vent to my brother through text. Then I heard that voice again.

"Hey, sorry, did I do sometin' wrong?"

I froze, only my eyes shot up as I decided whether or not to turn to him.

"You're always doing something wrong, Wheeler," I heard fiercely. I glanced over at this.

Seto's keystrokes had ceased entirely and he looked beyond annoyed, only turning a bit as I saw Joey approaching and now offended.

"Shut it, moneybags!" Joey threw back fiercely. "I wasn't talkin' to you!"

"I don't care, Wheeler," Seto said threateningly and very fiercely, turning towards him. "Why am I hearing your voice buzzing in my ear? Do you need to be humiliated in front of _more_ people?"

Now watching intently, I could see Seto tense, ready to stand as Joey clenched a fist. His friends were quick to jump up and grab him. "Joey, remember what happened last time," the brunette boy warned discreetly, linking his arms through Joey's.

"He's right. Joey, you need to _stop_ picking fights with this guy. Let it go," pleaded the girl.

"Screw dat! I'd wipe da floor wit dis asshole! I came in second, _SECOND_ , at Duelist Kingdom. He didn't even compete!" Joey fumed, his littlest friend now getting in the way and holding his hands up should he break free.

"He still beat you, Joey, don't forget-" the kid with crazy hair said.

"Yeah and if he had competed you definitely wouldn't have been second," said the other, struggling with him.

Seto turned at this, not bothering to give him much attention. I was mildly fascinated by all this.

"Yug, outta my way! I don't care how we settle dis! Cards or fists, let's go, Kaiba!"

"He beat you with that, too! Remember when you touched him?" the girl scolded, hushed. My eyes fell to Seto, it seeming he had a somewhat similar problem to mine, though I felt his solution was probably more direct.

"Wheeler, any time spent with you is a waste. Why don't you all taking your barking chihuahua for a walk," scoffed Seto, back at work.

"All right, bud. Let's go," his larger friend said to him, tilting him back and off his feet to get him to move. Joey continued to yell as they dragged him out, but Seto looked as though nothing happened.

I smiled slightly, and he happened to look up, probably wondering why I was staring at him.

"Why are you smiling?" he asked curtly. "I didn't do that for you."

"Oh, I know," I replied. "That's the beauty of it." He lowered his eyebrows. "I'm smiling because I just realized why you're the only one over here, and this may have just become my new favorite place. What you just did-" I marveled, "what an extraordinary talent to have." He only looked at me, not quite seeming to know what to make of me. I moved on, curious about something else. "What's Duelist Kingdom?"

"It was a tournament Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters, threw. Named after the island where he lives in a castle because he's demented," he answered disdainfully, turning back to his task.

I raised my eyebrows but didn't further the conversation. I turned back to my bag, now extracting my book instead. As I settled back and opened it, I looked at him once more and was curious again.

"I'm going to bother you one more time," I declared.

"Well at least you're aware of it," he uttered.

Curiously, I tilted my head, looking at the glowing KC. "What kind of computer is that?"

His eyes flashed to me briefly. "It's custom. I made it."

"Oh," I replied, satisfied with this. I quietly remarked, "I had assumed your name was spelled with an 'S.'"

Just as I was ready to turn away, he looked at me again, though it was a little nice to see him briefly more confused than annoyed. "It is," he replied unhappily. After a moment he seemed to figure out what I meant and turned back to his work. "Oh, you mean the brand. It's the logo for my company."

"Company?" I repeated slowly.

He hummed in an annoyed way, but still did not seem to mind the chance to talk about his successes. "Are you familiar with the Kaiba Corporation?"

"I can't say I am," I replied.

"It's a tech gaming company, the largest in the world," he explained smugly. "I'm the CEO."

"Gaming as in Duel Monsters?" I recalled from earlier.

He hummed positively.

"So you're the CEO of a Duel Monsters gaming company, yet based on what you just said, it seems you dislike the creator, yes?" I clarified.

"Correct."

I nodded, turning away, ending the conversation there.

From then on we sat in silence. It was not awkward, though, as it probably should have been. I enjoyed the sound of his rhythmic typing and only his rhythmic typing. Occasionally, I would glance up from my book to discretely examine his intense stare and impeccable posture. I'm not sure if it was my delight with his iciness or what, but for the first time, I noticed he was rather handsome. It wasn't something I paid attention to normally. _Well, that's new_ , I acknowledged dryly, thinking nothing more of it as I turned back to the pages _._ Neither one of us said anything for the rest of lunch.

* * *

The final bell rang. I grabbed my things and headed out for my car.

"Dah-um, excuse me." I recognized the voice. _Oh. Dear. God._

"What, Joey?" This had happened way too much for one day. I was drained at this point, finally making it through the first day, and just wanted to retreat to my apartment.

"I, ah, I wanted to apologize if was a little much today an-"

"That- that's nice Joey." At charm school, they had taught us to say 'That's nice' instead of 'fuck you.' I just could not take it anymore. "I need to go home."

"Hey!" I left him. I just climbed into my car and drove away.

When I arrived home, I checked my phone to see I had a perfectly timed message.

 _It was today right?  
How was it?_

 _Ugh, Jude, I barely made it_

 _Somebody TOUCHED me_

 _What do you mean?_

 _Like in a bad way  
or in a normal way?_

 _Do I need to come?_

 _Like in a BS way_

 _There's a normal way  
to touch people now?!_

 _lol, Jemmie. I miss  
ur crazy shit_

 _What the fuck did  
you just say to me?_

 _u mean wtf_

 _What?_

 _Laughing Out Loud_

 _What The Fuck_

 _Oh my god just  
spell it out_

 _OMG_

 _miss you_

 _By the way, do you  
know what Duelist  
Kingdom is?_

 _Yeah, actually_

 _Crazy right?_

 _Fucking weird_

* * *

 **Elaya easter egg!**

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Oh Brother

"I'm at the Domino airport, where are you?" Jude was the only person who I had told where I was and how to contact me. Perhaps that was a bad idea after all.


	5. Oh Brother

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* * *

 _Jemmea_

 _I miss him_ , I thought during literature. Yugi and Téa had not sat next to me. Apparently, they can take a hint.

The bell rang, and I walked hastily to science. Seto was already there reading his book. We hadn't spoken since that first day.

Again, he paid no attention to me as I sat down next to him; but, that was why I sat next to him. He ignored me. All my life people only paid attention to me to see that I was doing what they wanted. He could care less. It was a nice change.

After the bell rang, the teacher stood up and began to tackle the material. He soon finished the unit on chemical bonding then turned back to us, brushing his hands together.

"Ok, class. We're about to move on to polymers, but first I have a project to go over with you."

I heard some groans from behind me, but I only sighed and leaned forward. Placing an elbow on my desk and resting my cheek in my palm, I drew a line under my notes in preparation for the parameters of the project.

The teacher turned back to the board and began to write out guidelines for us as he spoke. "The project will act as your assessment for our unit on chemical bonding. This will be a partner project, and yes, you can choose your partner..."

At the word 'partner' I had noticed Seto's keystrokes cease. "Hmm," I heard him hum. He sounded beyond annoyed.

I only sighed again and leaned over as I jotted some notes, keeping my eyes on the paper as I leaned toward him. "Want to be my partner?" I asked dully. A group project didn't sound fun, but if I had to, I would prefer it be with him.

"Fine," he replied unhappily, his keystrokes resuming. I finally glanced over. He was, as always, on his laptop, but as I looked at the screen, I noticed he had graphs up on his computer.

"You have an unusual format for taking notes," I taunted, still quiet enough for only him to hear. He was clearly immersed in his business as usual.

"You seem to take enough notes for the both of us," he returned. I was surprised he paid any attention to what I did.

I glanced down at my pages filled with thorough notes. I simply responded, "Habit."

As the teacher continued, I noticed a beeping. I realized it was my phone ringing. "Oops." I had forgotten I left it on. I placed my bag in my lap, quickly searching to silence the phone to get the attention off of me. I peeked at the screen, then looked up to see the class staring at me, and the teacher giving me a disapproving look. All I said was, "Excuse me, I have to take a call." I escaped the classroom with eyes following me. I hated the attention, but there was only one person who had my number.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Jemmie! Thank God!" came his familiar voice.

"What is it, Jude?"

"I'm at the Domino airport, where are you?" Jude was the only person who I told where I was and how to contact me. Perhaps that was a bad idea after all.

"I'm at school, Jude. Where did you think I was?" It was pointless to ask him why he wasn't in school; I knew why. He's all about doing whatever he wants.

"Well, come get me."

What I was expecting to happen I didn't know, but he was my brother. My lovable twin brother. It was my responsibility to be there for him. Mostly though I was afraid of what mess he'd leave me the longer I made him wait. "All right, fine. I'll be there as soon as I can." I hung up and walked back into the classroom. They were waiting for me.

"Are you done?" the teacher asked.

I could tell he was about to say something to me about detention, but I interrupted him instead of giving him the opportunity. "Yes. Do you know the best way to get to the airport from here?" This was obviously not the answer he had expected, and he did not respond. They all just stared wide-eyed at me. I had no time or patience for this, not when it came to Jude. I turned to Seto, "Do you?" I asked as I collected my bag.

"Yes." He looked uncomfortable, not quite sure what was about to happen.

I was in a hurry. "Could just write how on my arm? It's practically paper anyway," I said as I pulled out a pen and pushed up my sleeve. For common reasons I would never have asked this, but when it came to my brother, I tended to care less about other things. I also still held everyone's attention and was ready to flee from here. Seto hesitated for a moment, seemingly unsure how to interact with me, then held my wrist in one hand and jotted instructions across my skin, seeming to hope that would make me go away. His hands were cool and felt nice, as I was always a bit warm.

"Thanks," I said as he finished. I took back the pen and walked out. Seto sat back and crossed his arms while the others stared after me.

As I turned the corner, I heard Seto pretentiously ask, "So, are you going to do your job, or should I leave too?"

* * *

 _He has very nice handwriting—oh, take a left!_ I turned onto the airport's exit, then found parking and climbed out. As I walked into the building, I rolled my sleeve down, covering the trace of another on my skin.

It did not take me long to find Jude. He had a guitar case at his feet a bag strapped across his chest. He wore blue jeans and a white V-neck. His blonde hair that matched mine had a California style cut: messy and hanging around his neck and in his brown eyes. He was tan, unlike me, just coming from our father's house. He was talking to some girl, leaning on the wall, just doing what he always did. He glanced over, watching for me. When he saw me, he completely forgot about the girl, but not his guitar. He grabbed it and rushed towards me without ever looking back at her. She looked offended.

"What are you wearing," he snickered as he set his guitar down again to hug me. I was so relieved to see him. He smirked as he came in and clung to me, holding me tight.

"I don't want to talk about it," I answered dryly. I felt his arms strong around my lower back, getting up on my toes to better hug him. My arms wrapped tightly around his neck, one hand in his hair as my cheek pressed to his. Neither let go quite so quickly. As he rocked me from side to side a bit, I realized just how much I had missed him.

 _Jude_

She let go of me and declared, "Now let's get out of here."

I let go of her and picked up my guitar case. I was so happy to see her. I loved her; she's the fucking best.

"Wow, nice wheels, sis," I said as we approached her car. My attention was reclaimed by my own voice as I noticed the acoustics in the parking garage.

Reaching the sleek, silver car, I opened the two-door and put my stuff in the backseat before pushing the seat back. I climbed in alongside my sister, reaching a hand down and pushing my seat even further back to more than accommodate my legs. Jemmie and I were pretty much the same height now... when she had her massive heels on that is. Once she started the car, I rolled my window all the way down.

"You're going to have to sleep on the couch, Jude. I'm in a small place right now while I look for my own loft," she said as we drove.

"But when you do, I'll have my own room, right?"

"Sure."

"And Effie too?" I jested. Her eyes narrowed. Effie was our little sister, and the two did not get along at all.

"No, she won't. What made you bring that bitch up? I was trying to forget about her."

"Just to get you riled up."

She huffed. "So why are you here, Jude?"

"I needed a break and missed you. So when will we be arriving at your brand spankin' new school?" I asked.

"School? I was going to take you to my apartment and let you hang out there," she responded though half of her attention was on checking her blind spot as she merged.

"Please? I'll be good! I want to see your school. And you know you want to show me off."

She settled back in, claiming a spot in the traffic. "Absolutely not. We're going to grab some food, and I'm going to head back. There's nothing for you to do there and the students wear uniforms, which you don't have."

"Can't I just borrowed one of yours?" I jested. She only glanced over at me, unamused. "What, you don't think I can rock pink? The skirt's the only real questionable piece, it might be a little short for me-"

"Really?" she returned dryly.

"Ok," I groaned, back to real talk. "At least when do you get out? And can we have milkshakes for lunch?" When we were littler, she'd make milkshakes for the two of us all the time.

"Sure, why not. I'll be done at two, and then I'll come home. No picking up girls, you have nowhere to take them."

"That's debatable," I replied, "You have no idea how creative I can get. But no worries, I won't bring any back to your place. I'll try not to get any at all since I'm here to see you. But now and then I meet one that's ready to go, and I have to admit those ones can be a little hard to resist."

"Gross."

I smiled, looking at her for a moment. "I missed you, Jemmie."

"I missed you too, Jude."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** School's Out

"Jem? Whaddaya want wit her?" I heard a guy say. I turned to see a kid with '80s blonde hair questioning me.

"And who are you?"


	6. School's Out

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* * *

 _Jude_

I sat outside the main entrance to my sister's school, smoking while I waited for her and not caring if I got in trouble for it. I checked my phone that she had bought for me again. 1:58. Anytime now.

When the bell rang I straightened up, looking for her pale blonde hair in the mess of kids. I wasn't seeing her and was getting tired of waiting. Perhaps she had slipped by when one of the numerous cuties passed by, distracting me. Speaking of-

I noticed a nice, respectable looking girl who also happened to have huge cans. I mean huge. Being impatient and craving the attention, I decided I'd ask her about my sister. I quickly sauntered over to her. "Excuse me-"

She turned to me, seeming a little surprised. "Yes? Can I help you?"

I smiled at her. "Yes, I'm looking for a blonde named Jemmie. She's new here, but I can't seem to find her. You wouldn't happen to know her, would you?"

"Jem? Whaddaya want wit her?" I heard a guy ask. I turned to see a kid with '80s blonde hair questioning me.

"And who are you?" I inquired, very curious as to why he knew my sister.

"Sorry," the girl said. "I'm Téa." She was the only girl, just hanging out with three guys. 'Reminded me of a few years ago when Jemmie would hang out with me and my friends. I truly missed those days. The girl continued, "And this is Joey, Yugi, and Tristan." I didn't expect to remember one of those names, though it did confirm some suspicions. Before it seemed as though she might, for lack of a better term, belong to this group. That was bullshit. No one should ever _seem_ to belong. If they are a part of a group it should be apparent. I noticed this only too often with girls like my Jemmie who tended to get along better with boys, though in Jemmie's case more particularly me. Anyway, I often saw these girls get ignored and a little left out amongst the guys' bullshit, but with even the slightest bit of attention from an outsider seemed to do a better job of absorbing her back into the group. I liked that. Girls got left out or overlooked way too often.

"Hey gang," I nodded, pocketing my hands. "I'm Jude."

The kid with the pointy hair spoke next. "How do you know Jem?"

"She's my sister. I'm visiting."

Then the kid with '80s blonde hair spoke up, "Any tips? She seems ta hate me and I can't tinka what I mighta done."

I laughed, rocking back and forth on my feet. "Oh, she hates everyone and never really perfected her social skills, you can't take it personally. Sorry I wasn't around to warn you about her, just leave her be and you'll be fine. I'll apologize on behalf of her for any trouble she's caused you. Just try not to hold it against her."

As I spoke, I noticed a group of hotties walking by. They were giggling, and one said, "Hey," as they passed. I smiled at them. _Goddammit, Jemmie_. I kept watching them as they walked away.

The crazy-haired kid spoke up, withdrawing me from my distraction. "Isn't that her over there by Kaiba?"

My eyes shot to him just to see the direction he was pointing in. As I turned to look, I asked, "Who's Kaiba?"

"A class A jerk is who," the blonde said again, much more disdainfully. "I don't know how eitha' of dem tolerate each othah." The girl hastily went to cover his mouth, accompanied by scolding whispers.

I saw her strut up to a tall, brown-haired boy who did not look fun at all.

"They with each other a lot?" I asked.

"At least every lunch period. She sits quietly next to him at lunch and reads," the girl replied. I huffed, hating how much my sister read ever since her first boarding school. It became all she did anymore and she became even more reserved. And hanging out with a boy? I am real protective of my sister, and I don't know that I'd ever admit it, but I get really jealous of guys that get to spend time with her. She's my twin and I never get to hang out with her.

"Yeah, but she probably just sits there to avoid you, knowing that Kaiba's going to bite your head off every time you get close," the other boy mocked.

"Yeah? Den why is she headin' ovah dere now?"

I turned back to them. "Thanks, nice meeting you all." I looked at the girl and winked. "Especially you." I left her there blushing and went after my sister.

 _Jemmea_

I had missed lunch with Seto which was the last time I saw him during the day. This worried me because I realized I didn't know when the group project was due and today was Friday.

I escaped with the mob of students, clutching my books as I hurriedly looked around. It only took me a moment to spot him as he reached his limo.

Rushing, when I was close enough to limit the attention drawn to me and still catch him, I called, "Seto!"

He quickly spun back at this, seeming a little shocked. A few kids around us also seemed surprised, though I didn't know why.

"What is it?" he snapped.

"Thanks for earlier. Since I didn't see you at lunch, I wanted to-"

"Oi, Jemmie!" I heard a familiar voice holler. I whirled around to see Jude charging me.

"What are you doing here?" I scolded furiously. "I told you to wait for me at home."

He slowed as he walked, eyeing Seto. "Who the fuck is this?" he asked in a disapproving tone, glaring at Seto.

"Jude!" I retorted sharply. I turned back to see Seto's stare was even fiercer. He remained silent as I quickly stepped toward him and said, "I'm so sorry, Seto. He's my brother." I turned back to Jude. "Jude, I don't understand why you do this. Every time. Jesus, you're such a spoiled brat," I scoffed, annoyed and trying to get him to stop. "Can you give me one goddamn minute, please?"

Just when I was about to turn back to Seto to ask him about the assignment, I heard a car door close. Seto had not stuck around for any more of my brother's bullshit, and I didn't blame him.

I turned back to Jude, enraged. "Get. In. The. Car."

 _Jude_

She didn't look at me the whole walk back to the car. "Why are you so upset?" I asked. Usually, she didn't give a fuck. All she cared about was me.

"I can't believe you," she seethed as she unlocked the car.

She still wouldn't look at me. She was obviously pissed off, opening her car door forcefully and dropping down into the driver's seat. I climbed in next to her as she started the engine. What happened to her? What happened to the fun, carefree sister I had? After she came back from her first boarding school she had changed, and I was sure I knew the goddamn reason, but what the hell am I going to do now?

Regardless, I didn't like seeing her upset, especially with me. I could be charming, though. I knew her better than anyone, _anyone_ , and she loved me too much to be mad at me for long. However I thought I'd speed up the process. I leaned back and looked at her. Softly I began to sing to her.

" _She says 'wake up, it's no use pretending.' I'll keep stealing, breathing her._ "

I've always loved music. It's pretty much my whole life. I remember before when Jemmie would come hang out with my band when she had time, or even just sit and listen to me sing when we were real little. My favorite was to look over and see her quietly singing along. I loved to hear her sing, though she hardly ever did.

I kept singing. " _Birds are leaving over autumn's ending... One of us will die inside these arms..._ "

And then, just as I had hoped, she sang with me.

" _Eyes wide open. Naked as we came- One will spread our ashes 'round the yard..._ " I smiled and continued to sing with her. It wasn't apparent, but she was kind of dark, a complete pessimist, but that's just one of the things I loved about her.

As we drove she seemed to calm down. It was almost as though I could see her muscles break down one by one. I continued to sing to myself as I studied her parallel parking skills, finally reaching her place. Once she had it, we climbed out and I followed her into a building and up to her apartment.

Jemmie tossed her keys on the counter by her door and went into her bedroom to change. Still hungry, I looked in her fridge, humming to myself as I looked. Before I finished with my selection, she was back out and dressed in regular clothes.

"What's that on your arm?" I noticed. "Did you get a tattoo?"

She glanced at it. "No, I was rushing and asked Seto to write directions to the airport on it."

"Huh," I replied, not really sure what to make of that. I'd never known my sister to tolerate someone touching her before. "You ready to go cause mischief?" I asked.

"No," she huffed. "I'm supposed to do a group project with that guy you scared away, but I had to leave to pick you up before I got a date-"

"A date?" I echoed, raising my eyebrows.

"- a _due_ date," she huffed, "and then you happened. Since it's Friday and it could be due on Monday, and I have _no_ way to contact him, I have to go find him to ask him and apologize."

"You apologize to people now?" I pried.

She just looked at me, not wanting to say yes.

"And how are you going to find him?"

"He has a company. I'll have to find it and see what I can do. I'll get some pillows and blankets for you while I'm out."

Then she turned and left. "…He has a company?" I called, but she was already gone.

* * *

 **Playlist** : _Naked As We Came_ by Iron and Wine

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Intercepted

His eyes were intently on me and he didn't say anything. I didn't know what that meant. After a moment, he pushed himself off the doorway. "Come here."


	7. Intercepted

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* * *

 _Jemmea_

I had located Kaiba Corp. and stood outside the doors to the building, looking up. My goal was to make this brief.

 _What the hell am I going to say to him?_ I thought as I pushed through the revolving door. _Thanks a lot, Jude, as though I wasn't awkward enough_.

There was a rather crowded greeting desk in the lobby. I caught myself, realizing I must have given it a look of disgust at the prospect of having to be around so many people. I turned and saw an elevator completely vacant with no one around it, so I chose to step aboard.

I didn't know which floor his office was on, but I knew where I wanted to start. The very top floor did not have a number but instead ARENA next to it. I chose the highest number instead. It was a long dreary ride up to the top floor, and when the doors opened, I stepped cautiously out into a hallway. All I could see were doors and walls, but none seemed special or significant in any way. I started to walk down the hall as my search continued. Around the corner and down the hall, I saw what seemed to be a room with glass walls to the hallway. I slowed as I approached it, debating if I really wanted to do this or not, but I was interrupted.

"Hey you!" someone yelled from behind me. I spun around. There was a big guy in a security uniform coming toward me. "What do you think you're doing up here?"

"Um-" I began, rather taken off guard. But I soon realized it was more of a rhetorical question, and it didn't matter what I said.

"I swear, I step away from my post for three seconds and someone gets by me," he muttered to himself. "Nice try little girl, now come on." He grabbed my wrist and started dragging me towards the elevator.

I didn't like people talking to me, so touching was _completely_ out of the question. I started to wiggle and unravel his grip, pulling at my wrist, but it wouldn't budge.

"Let go of me!" I demanded.

He turned and twisted my arm up so my hand was at his eye level. "It's your fault for trespassing," he said rashly. "Now let's go before-"

"What's going on?" asked a cold voice from behind us. The security guard spun around, losing some fierceness but still grasping me. I was desperately trying to pull him off with my other hand.

"Don't worry, sir. I have everything under control," he responded.

"If by 'under control' you mean putting your hands on me instead of just asking-" I began. In the spat, I had forgotten precisely where I was but now remembered. I turned to see Seto in a white suit, leaning against the doorway of what seemed to be the head office at the end of the hall.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked the guard irately. "I hired you with the confidence that you could handle things in a professional manner, and instead here you are causing a ruckus and distracting me from my work. I have better things to do than reprimand you." Seto narrowed his eyes. "And though some of my acquaintances deserve to be treated like stray dogs, Jem is certainly not one of them." The guard's face turned very pale, and he dropped my hand. I collected it with my other, massaging it, and backed away from him, out of his reach and closer to Seto.

"I'm- I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know-" stammered the guard.

"I don't have time for this. Get out," Seto commanded, clearly aggravated.

The security guard's face fell. "But, sir-"

" _Now_ , or you'll be losing more that your job." I glanced back at Seto with his words, admiring how he had no tolerance for bullshit.

"My apologies," uttered the guard, hanging his head. He turned and left without another word.

Seto watched him, and after he turned the corner, Seto said, "I will have to personally deal with the security department and make sure they hire a more professional replacement." I couldn't tell if that was an apology to me. He spoke in that callous tone I had heard him so often use. Seto turned his cold, unimpressed eyes to me.

"I apologize for today," I offered.

"Did you come all the way here just to say that?" he asked.

"No," My gaze drifted off. "I don't have any other way of contacting you. I was trying to ask you the due date on the group project when my brother started being a jackass. It's Friday, so I couldn't just ask you tomorrow in case it was due on Monday..." I shook my head as my rambling explanation seemed to come to an end. Then I looked at him.

His eyes were intently on me, and he didn't say anything. I didn't know what that meant. After a moment, he pushed himself off the doorway. "Come here." He spoke in his usual tone, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

 _Kaiba_

"Why?" she asked hesitantly, pulling her arms closer to her chest.

"Just come here. I want to see your arm." She slowly came toward me and I waited for her at my door. She kept her eyes on me with each cautious step. As she came to stand before me, she extended her arm. The whole situation felt strange. _I don't think I've ever done anything like this before,_ I noted internally _._ I took her wrist tenderly in my hand, not entirely sure how I should handle a person I wasn't threatening. But I remembered how soft her skin was from earlier, and how small her hand was as I had clutched it in mine. The feeling had haunted me all day. I had wanted to feel it again and thought perhaps if I did the feeling would go away.

I slowly turned her hand over in mine. I saw my handwriting smeared from the ill-mannered hands, but there appeared to be no bruising or other marks blemishing her pure white skin.

"Looks fine." I dropped her hand and looked up to catch her eye again, pocketing my hands to make them inaccessible. This time, though, it was she who broke the trance. When she did, she turned her eyes to look past me into my office, then her eyes widened.

I thought I heard her breath, "Wow," before she stepped forward quickly this time, sliding between me and the door. But what I noticed more than anything was how she gently rested a hand on my chest for a moment as she did so. I froze, and she left me there as she walked to my window, her eyes fixed on the city with a background of bright blue skies.

Once I regained my senses, I denied ever losing them and walked up beside her. I pocketed my hands, looking out the window as well, but without the same interest.

After a few moments of silence, she seemed to gather herself. "Sorry," she said, more aware this time. "I've just never seen this before. I've always wanted to see the city from up high." With this, I heard the door finally find its way shut behind us. I was alone with her. With her consumed and no one else around, I discreetly stole a glance.

Her hand was on her chest, a softened expression on her face. Her head was tilted as her eyes quietly darted around the scene. She seemed far too comfortable for being with only me, and why she would want to be was beyond me as well. I wasn't going to be a pleasant host or good company, and even she should have picked up on that. Still, she chose my presence over others', and this was how I almost always saw her. The only exceptions being when Joey tried to speak to her and her brother today. I recalled how she was when her brother called her out, how her cheeks turned pink, and she became so feisty. Not only had I not wanted to deal with her brother, but I had found her rosy cheeks and harsh words endearing. I hated how it felt, and that had been my primary reason for leaving. I caught myself, realizing I was thinking about this way too much and it was a waste of my time.

Shaking it off, I stepped back, returning to my desk. I pulled up my schedule, nearly covered. The most annoying part was the dark blue marking my school hours. Once I graduated, I would have more time to pursue personal projects. I had so many ideas it was hard to prioritize at the moment.

"Come back next Saturday at two o'clock," I instructed.

"Why?" she asked. Her eyes began to follow me, finally breaking her trance.

"We have three weeks to work on the project," I informed as I sat down. "It's the weekend, so I have a few more hours to spare. You should know I plan on finishing this quickly: I despise group projects."

"I know what you mean," she replied, peeking back out the window. "I'll do my best to make it as painless as possible," she glanced back at me, "and I'll try to extend that courtesy to you as well." She sighed. "Well, I have to go, I have some errands to run-"

"Yes, and I have a _company_ to run," I remarked.

"Fancy." She looked at me only a moment longer before she turned, starting to walk away. "Well, goodbye, Seto. I'll see you on Monday." It was odd when I heard her say my name. Nobody but Mokuba referred to me by my first name, hence why I turned around so quickly today when she called after me. Though I would expect to hate someone other than Mokuba calling me Seto, I found the way she said it to be somewhat pleasant.

She held up a hand faintly as an accompanying gesture, turning back once more to glimpse at me out of the corner of her eye before she exited. Despite my drive to work, every click of her heel held my attention, the way the lights shifted the shimmer in her hair as she passed under them, all the way until I watched her hand slide silently down the side of my door as it closed behind her.

 _Jemmea_

It had been a crazy day, but as I left the Kaiba Corp. building, I felt strangely content. I was able to find the pillows and blankets on my way back home and returned to find Jude smoking on the steps.

"Jude-" I warned.

"Oh, sorry Jemmie, did you want one?" He extended the pack to me.

"No! Get that away from me!" Not having it was making me irritated again. I wanted it so badly; the craving was almost irresistible. The deathly smell of smoke, seeing the ghastly silver turn softly in the air… it needed it to go away. It was hard to resist. I needed him to take it away.

"Ok, ok. Fine." He put it out on the cement.

I dropped the bags and sank next to him. "Thanks." I looked down and wove both of my hands into my hair.

My brother studied me. "How are you doing, Jemmie?"

"I'm fine," I answered. "I just hate shopping. It's exhausting."

He kindly grabbed my other shoulder and pulled me over. He kissed my head, doing his brotherly thing.

He stayed with me for three great days after that. He can be a huge pain, but I love him dearly. I was not as happy on the last day as I watched him walk away toward his plane terminal. Before he left, he engulfed me, holding me tight. In that moment, I heard softly, "I love you more than anything," before he let go and picked up his stuff. He turned back once, and we both held up a hand to wave, each with a small pasted smile that no longer would reflect in our eyes once he turned back. And then it happened, he was gone.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** His 2 O'Clock

The woman checked her screen and must have seen my name as she raised her eyebrows with disgust or surprise, or both, I couldn't tell. She picked up the phone, hugging it to her shoulder as she continued working on her computer. "Mr. Kaiba, your two o'clock is here." After another moment she hung up, turning back to me. "Mr. Kaiba will see you now."


	8. His 2 O'Clock

_¸,ø¤°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸,ø¤°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸_

* * *

 _Jemmea_

"And do you have an appointment with Mr. Kaiba?" the woman behind the desk in the lobby asked. I had decided to do it right this time to avoid any further touching.

"Well, Seto told me to meet him here at two today," I answered.

The receptionist glanced up at me skeptically. "Name?"

"He calls me Jem," I answered. She didn't say anything else, and I kicked one foot back, mindlessly twisting my toe back and forth into the tile floor as I waited.

The woman checked her screen and must have seen my name as she raised her eyebrows with disgust or surprise, perhaps both. I couldn't tell nor did I particularly care. She picked up the phone, hugging it to her shoulder as she continued working on her computer. "Mr. Kaiba, your two o'clock is here." After another moment she hung up, turning back to me. "Mr. Kaiba will see you now."

I collected my bag and went to the elevator—which was now watched over by a different guard—without hesitation.

 _Kaiba_

There was a knock at my door. "Come in," I grumbled, immersed in my work.

Jem pushed open my office door carefully, keeping it propped with her hand as she discreetly slid in. I directed my eyes up at her as she glanced needlessly around my office, advancing towards me. She carried a bag with her, which she dropped at the side of my opposite black leather chair before plopping down.

I busily leaned back and opened a desk drawer, extracting a professional binder. "Here's what we're doing," I declared as I pushed it in front of her, turning back to my computer. "Look it over and make sure you understand it."

She stared at the binder for a moment. "You... already have it put together," she marveled.

"Mm."

"Well," she began, picking it up, "let's see what you've devised, then."

The office was silent after that, only broken up by the sound of my mouse. It was almost too quiet—too peacefully quiet—for being in a room with another person. I glanced at her. Jem sat upright, her eyes cast down at the binder in her lap. She gracefully flipped the page, tilting her head to attend to the top of the next section. She looked quite relaxed as she read it over, her features softer than usual. Her bust rose and fell slowly.

"Hm," she responded, about to comment. I turned my eyes back to my screen before she caught me looking at her. "Well, what if-"

My phone rang, cutting her off.

 _Jemmea_

"Kaiba," he answered. I flashed my eyes up to him briefly. "I'll be right there." He hung up the phone before he stood and ordered, "Stay here," before he left hastily.

I was about to speak with him about the project. It wasn't that his plan was wrong, I just found it boring. Lots of ideas were racing through my mind, and I needed to write them down before I lost them. I had a dry erase marker in my bag and pulled it out, continuing to hold the binder open in one hand as I went to his window.

I had it mostly mapped out when he returned. I glanced back over my shoulder to watch him slow as he approached, glaring at his window. "Oh, hey," I greeted, turning back to my work. "This is more what I was thinking." I twisted back to see his reaction.

He began to read over my work, his face falling a bit as he did. His eyes remained glued to my writing when he said, "...You made a bomb."

"Yeah," I replied. "There wasn't anything wrong, per se, with yours, but I had been at least hoping we could blow something up. You know, give this project some hope of being fun."

"What are you going to blow up? The school?" he remarked disdainfully as he reached me. His eyes remained on my words as he pocketed his hands.

"Well, no. We'd just have to go outside or something. You should be able to see here that it won't be that big of an explosion," I gestured.

He finally turned to me, and I could tell already that he did not like the idea. "Jem, that's against the law."

I quickly looked back at the window, trying to figure out what he was talking about, but I couldn't. "Which one?" I puzzled.

"Are you kidding?"

"No..." I replied, still looking over my work. Then I realized what he meant and turned to him with bright eyes, gesturing as I spoke by subtly pointing the marker at him. "Oh, you mean _the_ law," I responded. I glanced past him as I muttered to myself, "I always forget about that one."

I noticed his eyes still boring into me, and my eyes flashed back to him. "I grew up so isolated that the law never really applied, nor was I taught too much about it. I thought you were talking about a law of physics or something." He still didn't seem satisfied with this somehow. I didn't understand. "What?" I asked.

He shook his head. "You're just- unlike anyone I've ever met," he answered. He promptly pivoted away, spinning his chair back before he sat down. Seto resumed his occupancy with his screen, proclaiming, "We're doing what I presented to you."

 _Kaiba_

I heard her sigh before I sensed her gently lay down the binder in front of me. I spun my chair back slightly, only to find her standing right next to me, leaning her opposite hand on the table. The back of her closer hand rested on her hip, and her body was oriented slightly toward me. However, she didn't seem to notice as she intently studied the pages again. She was so close to me, but a repressed part of me felt it was still too far.

"Do you know where to get all the materials for this?" she questioned, interrupting my irritating thoughts. "I'm thinking this one might be hard to find," she remarked, running her desk hand over to point at the far corner of the page. She leaned forward a bit, her second hand absent-mindedly coming to rest on the back of my chair. _And she doesn't even seem to be mindful of it_.

"Yes, I have all of it here at my company."

"Ok then," she replied, closing the binder and giving the spine a tap on my desk. "I'll make it seeing as you designed it, and you seem to have much more demanding duties at hand than I do." She walked back around the desk, collecting her bag. "May I have your contact information in case I have any questions or anything?"

I merely reached into my suit pocket and extracted one of my business cards to give her. "I have engineers here, too. Here's how to contact them." I wrote a note on the back of the card. "They will give you the materials and can help you as needed." She accepted my card, taking a second to study it. "Do not lose that. I'm _very_ selective about who I allow to contact me, but I can't guarantee I'll answer even if you call." She stowed it and smiled, going to collect her bag.

"What?" I snapped.

"Oh," she said, sticking the binder in her bag, "you're just unlike anyone I've ever met either. In a good way."

And with that, she turned to leave. As she walked away, she gathered her silky blonde hair in her hands, releasing any strands from under the straps of her bag, and pulled it to rest over her shoulder. With her hair settled, most of her movement was in the sway of her hips, which I tried to ignore as she exited.

"Jem," I called after her. She turned back slightly at the door. "I'll want to look it over before we hand it in. This is a big part of our grade, and I'm not risking my perfect 4.0 at the hands of another."

I think I saw her smirk. "I'll be sure to schedule another appointment when I complete it," she replied mockingly. The door closed behind her and I sat back, huffing with exasperation. I folded my hands in my lap, looking at the door she just exited, then pushed the girl from my mind, purposefully forgetting her in the midst of my work.

* * *

Five days later she returned carrying a modest box. She minded it as she navigated the door. Being a weekday I had to ask her here later. Once she entered and looked up, she froze, her eyes beyond me. I spun back a moment in my chair, wondering what was there, but only saw the city lights growing brighter with the setting sun. She stopped about a foot away from the glass, her eyes dashing from one light to the next.

I saw how dazzled she was as I watched her out of the corner of my eye, her attention consumed by the view. But it was her, and not the thousand lights twinkling in the darkness, that held my attention. I found the lights much prettier when they reflected in her eyes. I was again burdened by the pleasant feeling I had when I looked at her.

I turned back, still not impressed by them. "I assume that's it," I redirected.

"Oh yeah," she replied, turning. She set it on my desk as I pushed my chair away from my computer, standing up. Surprisingly, she then perched herself next to it on my desk as she waited. I tried to be discreet as I glanced at her briefly while I opened the box.

"The city is absolutely beautiful from up here," she declared softly, still distracted.

She leaned back on one arm, her head tilted to that same side as she gazed out my window. She wore a sleeveless dress today and it was the third time I had seen her out of uniform. It was made of a navy blue, flowing fabric, sashed around her waist. Her legs were less displayed, but the cut of the neckline was lower than I had seen on her. I wasn't sure if I preferred her in her preferred clothes—the change made her that much more distracting. I hated how much I had to redirect my attention around her.

"So what are we going to say?" she asked unenthusiastically. My eyes quickly flashed back to the box as I lifted the item out of it. It looked as though she had constructed it perfectly. I had gathered that she was smart, but still, I was inwardly impressed. My design had been quite complicated.

"You don't need to worry about it," I said, placing the item back. "I'll be in control of that."

Her eyes darted from the skyline to me. "Are you serious?" she implored. But she didn't sound upset so much as relieved and excited.

I looked at her firmly. "I'm always serious." I started to turn away, but she grabbed my suit and reclaimed my attention. I looked back at her, startled.

She pulled me to her a bit, leaning in. Her shining blue eyes looked up at me keenly. "You mean I don't have to say anything?" I didn't respond right away; I was so taken aback. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I didn't feel as opposed to her tugging on my suit as I would have expected myself to be. "Just to be clear," she added after my silence.

"Yes," I replied dryly.

She smiled excitedly and pulled me down, quickly kissing my cheek before she jumped off my desk.

I was stunned.

She turned quickly but then spun back, resting a hand again on my chest as she leaned forward. "I'm sorry," she said excitedly, "I just hate talking to people I don't know or like." With that she spun back, hurrying for the door. The ends of her dress bounced a bit with her step. This was the most lively I had ever seen her.

"Wait," I called after her. She whirled back around. "Take it," I instructed. "The teacher knows how controlling I am. If you bring it in, I'll be less likely to be downgraded."

"Right," she answered, rushing back to grab it. She collected the box in her arms and was off again. "Thanks again, Seto. You're the best!" she called back, still in her excited mood. I never thought my controlling nature would make someone's day.

She reached out and pulled on the door handle, leaning back to open the thing. Once it was wide enough, she spun again to protect the box, waving goodbye to me as she did before the door again shut behind her. Staring after her, I reached up, placing my fingertips on the cheek she had kissed.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Recognition

Téa suddenly shot up in her chair, her fork clattering against the tray as her arm lashed out to grip the person next to her. This jostled all the boys and they looked at her. "Téa, that kind of hurts. What is it?" asked Tristan, the victim of her realization.

"I think I know why she looks so familiar," she said.


	9. Recognition

Jem sat in her usual place at lunch next to Seto, who was typing away as usual. About a month ago he had done a fabulous job presenting their project, albeit with a few snide remarks about how it was better than anything anyone else could accomplish.

She was reading or trying to anyway. Usually, it acted as a good distraction, but today it wasn't good enough. Jem hadn't heard anything from her brother for the past three days despite calling him and leaving messages. Messages that clearly expressed her worry and urgently requested him to call her back. He had yet to, and it worried her knowing the kind of activities he enjoyed.

Jem looked up from her book, thinking. She couldn't call Jude's friends, only just now getting a phone. The same applied for her sister; even if she could, she didn't think her sister would help her.

Still in thought, she glanced over at Seto.

"Hey Seto," she began, forming half an idea. His typing ceased and only his eyes flashed up to her. This was a first.

"What is it?" he asked annoyed.

Her eyes didn't focus on him, trying to form her thoughts into something coherent. "Sometimes when I see your screen you have code up. Are you... much of a hacker?" she tried. "Especially with phones. Would you be able to pinpoint a location on one? Or retrieve contact information?"

Kaiba just stared at her. "Why would you ask me that?" he asked just as condescendingly as before.

"I've been trying to contact my twin unsuccessfully for the past few days. It's not like him and I'm getting worried."

Kaiba resumed typing, the conversation becoming suddenly disinteresting. "Just ask your family where he is," he dismissed dully.

"I'd rather not. I don't really talk to them," she replied. "I'm not even really sure how to contact them."

Kaiba's typing slowed for a moment as he glanced at her, just slightly more intrigued again. He had assumed she was like any other normal person at this school. Now that he bothered to think beyond his world, he realized it was very odd for her to be here but not her brother. He gave her nothing more, though, continuing with his project as he forced himself to ignore her. That's who he was, and he was determined to stick to it even if she made it come less naturally.

"You know what, I hear how stupid that is now that I said it aloud. I'll just go try calling again. I'm really sorry for bothering you, Seto," she apologized, grabbing her bag to go make her call outside.

Meanwhile, Téa picked at her lunch, a bit lost in her thoughts. Today she couldn't fully engage in the duel talk, again wishing she had female friends to talk about girl things with. Recently she heard that they were considering inverting the colors of the girls' uniform to a blue jacket and pink bows. It was supposed to be an effort to make the student body more unified as a whole. Téa wasn't sure how she felt about this yet. To test it she had been imagining it on other girls. Jemmea walked by, and Téa again tested it out on her, and then she knew.

Téa suddenly shot up in her chair, her fork clattering against the tray as her arm lashed out to grip the person next to her. This jostled all the boys, and they looked at her. "Téa, that kind of hurts. What is it?" asked Tristan, the victim of her realization.

"I think I know why she looks so familiar," she said.

The boys looked around, a bit confused. They didn't spot Jem, who had already stepped out. Téa wasn't completely sure, however. The boys at the table had seen as much as she had and what she was thinking seemed like a huge stretch. But there was another person who might know.

 _Duke, you have to come to the cafeteria NOW_ , she texted fiercely.

Just outside the cafeteria, Jem called again. Again, it went to voicemail.

"Hey! It's Jude. If you're my sister, I'm probably with a pretty girl right now... Sorry if you just heard that and you're a different pretty girl. If you're anyone else, fuck you. _Beep._ "

"Jude I'm getting really tired of listening to that message," she fussed. "Call me. I'm worried about you."

Jem hung up. She clenched the phone, bringing the top up to her lips as she thought. She couldn't wait; she was too uneasy. If something happened to him and she hadn't even tried in spite of herself, she could never live with herself. She had been avoiding this because she knew what it meant, but she needed to know. There was no other choice.

Duke arrived in the cafeteria, walking right past Jem without noticing as he was a bit concerned. He spotted Téa and went straight over. Before he could ask, she was already interrogating him. "Duke," she began. "You know a lot about Pegasus, right?"

Now all of the boys were thoroughly interested and confused.

"Yeah, I've studied everything about the man..."

"Does he have relatives? What about his wife's relatives, in particular?" she demanded.

He responded slowly, hesitating. "Yeah..." He kept talking, but that was all she needed, immediately standing up and going around to him. As he continued, "If you dig enough, you know they had kids-" she spun him around, pointing at Jemmea just outside of the door. Téa had been staring at her ever since. Duke interrupted himself, "Holy shit." Duke just stared at her a minute, trying to be sure.

"She said her name is Jemmea Lee," Téa informed.

All uncertainty left his face. "Yup," he confirmed. "There's no mistaking that name. And I'm pretty sure Lee was his wife's maiden name." He shook his head again, then with another disbelieving, "Holy shit," he went straight to her.

Jem was still stressing and totally unprepared for what came next.

"Excuse me," called Duke. He was close enough that it was all that made sense out of the cafeteria roar. She opened her eyes to see him coming straight at her and she felt her body tense.

"Hi," he greeted, somewhat enthusiastically as he reached her. "I'm Duke Devlin. I'm a big fan of your father's." With this Jem completely froze, desperately hoping that he had her confused with someone else. "I'm a game entrepreneur myself. Has Pegasus ever mentioned me to you?"

All of her hope sunk, forming a huge knot in her stomach. She thought fast. If he was a fan, she especially couldn't trust him with her secret. She had to make him believe they were on the same side. She did her best to calm her voice and sound interested. "Just the name," she replied. "I didn't know what you looked like or anything, so sorry I hadn't noticed you before."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm in a different lunch usually." It seemed he was buying every word. "So what are you doing here?"

"My father and I agreed that I should probably go to school here since there are so many duelists and everything here." Jem wasn't sure if this was true, she was just going on hunches.

She was slightly relieved when he nodded. "That makes sense," he replied. His eyes scanned her. "You're even prettier than I could have expected."

Jem almost answered reflexively but refrained from her comment on how creepy that was. She didn't need him calling to talk to her father, feeling like he had offended her. At the same time, she realized she also couldn't accept the compliment. Charm school had taught her that boys (or "nice" boys, as they referred to them) would ask a girl's father for permission to date her. That was just as bad. Instead, she ignored it entirely.

She leaned in towards Duke, lowering her voice. She didn't love it when he mirrored her but continued. "Hey, um, does anyone else know?" she asked.

"Just my friends," he noted, pivoting to point at the table full of eyes on them.

"Can they keep a secret?" she asked.

He turned back to her, not expecting this. "Yeah."

"Great. My father and I are trying to keep me being here quiet. He doesn't want to stir anything up, you know?" She didn't know but wasn't sure what else to say.

He nodded. This either meant that it made sense to him, or he was pretending it did. "Yeah, I hear you. I'll let them know."

Then she used the number one rule from charm school. She smiled and hoped desperately that it was coming off as sincere. "Thank you. I have to go now, but it was lovely to meet you."

She cautiously turned away, watching him for a moment. He did the same, but in the opposite order. When she fully turned away, her smile immediately dropped. Once he disappeared she hurried, not knowing if she could come back here, but knowing that she needed to leave.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Exposed

"Oh hello, Kaiba-boy," came the overly dramatic, only too familiar voice


	10. Exposed

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* * *

 _Jemm_ _ea_

I looked around my apartment for perhaps the last time. Even though Duke agreed, I still wasn't sure about coming back here. Currently, that wasn't important.

I tried Jude's phone once more to get the same message.

"That's it," I spat after the beep. "I'm coming to find you."

 _All right, I guess I'm going. Yeah, I'll just suck it up and do it._ I took a deep breath. _OK. I will need to be prepared._ I chose a quarter sleeve, snug, cream knit. I put it on with some dark, form-fitting jeans. _So the goons have nothing to grab. And finally_ \- I put on my sailing wedges, grabbing a pair of stilettos for landing. Perhaps most girls found heels uncomfortable, but I had forced myself into them a long time ago and they were now my preference. Why? Stilettos are the perfect concealed weapon. Growing up the way I did, they were quite useful.

That was about all I had to bring. I had no plans for staying there, but if I had to, there were more clothes there than here.

I grabbed my keys and headed for the storage area down by the docks. I had painted over the previous name for my boat, _Jemini_. My brother loved it—being twins, being Gemini, and being able to refer to us as "Jem 'n I." It was a bit too cute for me.

Before long I heard the clunk of my shoes on the pier and found my renamed boat. I had met an older man at the docks one day retiring his boat. I found it to be the perfect opportunity to steal the name so my father couldn't find me. I would just have to see if I could pull it off again once I knew my brother was safe.

* * *

 _¸,ø¤°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸,ø¤°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸_

* * *

Kaiba calmly stepped out of his private executive washroom, now out of his juvenile uniform and into something much more professional for work. He strode back over to his desk, smoothing his tie as he fell into his chair, and with a swivel was ready to work. It was exactly then that his phone rang, which happened basically every day at this time. Employees had built up a number of questions and proposals while he was at school and could wait no longer for his input.

"Kaiba," he answered, starting his routine.

"Oh hello, Kaiba-boy," came the overly dramatic, only too familiar voice.

Kaiba wasn't even going to entertain him. His muscles flexed, and moved ever so slightly towards the receiver. Knowing, Pegasus simply said, "God cards."

This caught Kaiba's attention, and he eased back. "I'm listening."

"Oh goody," Pegasus replied cheerfully. "So a little birdy told me that you're throwing a tournament soon because they've resurfaced. In fact, I hear Obelisk has resurfaced right into your deck! I know you, Kaiba-boy. I know you're after the other two. I thought you might want to know some tidbits about them."

"Go on," Seto encouraged.

Pegasus laughed. "Oh not so easily, Kaiba-boy! No no, that wouldn't be any fun. For this, you have to pay me a personal visit."

Kaiba wasn't thrilled with his proposal. "Why are you doing this?" he demanded.

"Oh, I have my reasons. I don't know if you want to hear them, though." There was a pause as Kaiba considered this. "But I'm going to tell you anyway!"

Kaiba huffed. How could a man who invented something he loved so much be this awful?

"I know you've been struggling lately, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus went on with a sarcastic sympathy. "Quite frankly the continuous streak is bad for both of our businesses, besides Yugi winning is getting a little too predictable. I want to fuel your rivalry, make it interesting again. Sadly I think you might need more of an edge. But I can't discuss it over the phone. Come to Duelist Kingdom-"

Kaiba did not like the insults but was too intrigued to let it squander this opportunity.

"I'll be there soon," he replied.

"You'll have to wait a few days, my boy. I'm afraid I'm booked solid-"

Kaiba smiled, turning the tables. "You'll just have to make time. I'm not waiting." With that he hung up, but held onto the phone, dialing home.

"Hey, bro," Mokuba answered as Kaiba stood. "Mokuba, start packing now. I'm on my way home."

"Is everything ok?" the little Kaiba asked, worried.

"Yes, we're going to Duelist Kingdom to get information out of Pegasus." Kaiba heard the pause on the line and knew why. "Don't worry; I'm not letting anything happen to you. That's why you're coming. Now move it."

As he hung up his phone, he heard the chime of a new e-mail. He glanced at it, realizing he should take a least a moment to scan and address anything important before he left. He wasn't too worried about leaving now with the next week off from school due to the holidays. The shopping rush was over and many of his employees were using some of their PTO to spend time with their families. The company was almost entirely shut down. Still, it didn't hurt to check.

He was surprised to see it was an email from Yugi. He wondered if it was connected to what Pegasus said. Perhaps this was a game and he was playing both of them.

Kaiba quickly opened the message.

 _Hey Kaiba,_

 _You might know this already, but Jem is Pegasus's daughter._

Kaiba's eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat.

 _Téa recognized her today since she looks like her mom. When Duke learned her name was Jemmea he was able to confirm it. He confronted her about it and she said her dad sent her here. Aside from her twin that visited, Duke said there's a younger sister named Effie. I just have a weird feeling about it. I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but since I consider you a friend and you are around her a lot, I just wanted to make sure you knew._

The last he saw of her was a lunch yesterday when she asked him about hacking. When she was missing today, the last day before the holiday break, her previous question seemed to explain her absence. Yet something wasn't right. It was suspicious that she would gravitate toward him, though enough time had passed that Pegasus could have done something should he want to. He also noted how she had mentioned not contacting her family. Things didn't quite seem to fit. Regardless, it all felt like too much of a coincidence, and Kaiba wanted answers.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Ashore

Glaring at Kaiba through his sunglasses, he spoke into his sleeve, "Croquet, Seto Kaiba is here."


	11. Ashore

Kaiba stepped out of his chopper, back at Duelist Kingdom. Mokuba wasn't so confident about being here. He hopped out, hovering just behind his big brother's leg.

"Are you sure about this, Seto?" he asked meekly.

The only response Mokuba received was a smug, "Hm," from his brother.

With this Kaiba continued on, Mokuba close behind. This time he landed in the entrance courtyard of the castle. The goon who stood watch lowered his arm, unhappy as all of the loose leaves and dirt settled again as the blades slowed. Glaring at Kaiba through his sunglasses, he spoke into his sleeve, "Croquet, Seto Kaiba is here."

Kaiba walked in long slow strides allowing his brother to keep up with him. This allowed Croquet to reach the door just about when Kaiba did.

"Mr. Kaiba," Croquet coldly greeted. "Pegasus told you he wouldn't be available for a few days. You realize it's the holidays, right?"

"That makes it sound like he's busy doing nothing," Seto countered coolly. "I can wait. I'm sure he can find an hour for me if I'm here."

Mokuba tugged on his brother's jacket. "Come on, Seto. Let's go," he pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba. But I am supposed to tell you that you need to wait. I know you're not accustomed to hearing it."

With this Mokuba felt a bit relieved. The amount of push back Croquet was giving made it seem like they would have to leave for now. The only thing keeping them there was his brother's stubbornness. With this he turned back, going to climb into the chopper in hopes that would encourage his brother to leave faster. He also didn't mind being out of snatching distance.

Kaiba stayed put, glaring at Croquet. "I'm sure Pegasus wouldn't want to be a horrible host. Again. I'm already here."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba. You'll just have to come back when he's ready." With that Croquet turned, about to head back into the castle.

"Well if he's not available, perhaps one of his children will be. Effie," he began to list, delaying saying it as long as he could. "Jude-"

Croquet halted, then turned very slowly back to face him. Kaiba didn't want to say it, but he had to know. He narrowed his eyes. "Jemmea."

The goon just stared at him for a minute. "Does your brother know?" Croquet asked darkly.

"No," Kaiba stated, seeing this might actually win him entry. It was bittersweet.

"Make sure it stays that way," he warned. With that he stepped back, extending his arm toward the door. "Congratulations, Mr. Kaiba. You're now our guest."

* * *

 _Jemmea_

It was two days later when I docked the sailboat. The island had many docks, but I had chosen a smaller one that was hidden from the view of the castle. I did not want to be noticed by one of my father's goons, or worse, my father himself.

As my boat glided in, I leaned over to the side, catching the dock. With a firm hold, I climbed out, cautiously watching the rock of the boat. Rope in hand, I tied her up. When the boat was secured I stood upright and closed my eyes. I took a short, deep breath: a last chance for the salt to fill my lungs. _It's time_ , I thought and exhaled. A light breeze gently tossed my hair back as I turned in the direction of the castle. I started my voyage, stepping off the dock and into a small clearing.

I quickly changed my shoes once I was off the dock. They were too heavy for what I was used to. Turning back, I tossed them in the boat. If I didn't have enough time to carefully walk over the dock when I returned I had bigger problems.

I began to walk towards an opening in the forest where the trees met the clearing. The soil underneath was soft and my heels were constantly detangling knots in the grass. The forest floor, however, was hard and dry, proving easy to walk on.

I found the path leading to the castle and followed it. The dirt, now crumbly and loose, moved around easily and I found myself stopping constantly to dig it out of my shoes. The forest surrounding me was dense, just as I remembered it. If I remembered correctly, a clearing near a cliff that stood tall against the ocean's breaking waves was next.

The ocean had always felt strange to me. I never could keep a certain feeling about it. Most of the time the waves, like the ones I was approaching now, had always made me feel trapped. They constantly reminded me that I was on an island with no escape. But other times I remember running down to the beaches at night, kicking my shoes off and feeling the soft sand underneath my feet, and the warm breeze float gently across my skin. I would be entranced and comforted by the moon, shining in the sky and casting its sparkling reflection to drift along the quiet waves. The waves were calmer on the beaches, and I could always count on their consistent rhythm on a clear night, unlike so many other things in life.

I heard the crashing waves first, the ones that had made me feel hopeless at times. They grew louder as I approached the clearing and I could start to see it now. The clearing was at a very small cove, giving enough of a view for me to see it. I hated it. My prison, standing tall upon a small mountain.

I sighed, but distracted myself with my plan. It was unlikely that any of his goons were outside the castle. I should be able to make it that far undetected. Once I was there I would enter in the tunnels at the base of the mountain. Using the grand stairs put me at too much of a disadvantage. And with any luck, I would have my answer and be out of there before he ever noticed.

* * *

 _¸,ø¤°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸,ø¤°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸_

* * *

"Here's you room," Croquet said as he opened the door and entered. "Mokuba's will be next to you."

Kaiba's eyes fixed on the goon. "That's not happening. He's staying with me."

"I'm afraid you left us no choice. You'll be able to see him on the monitor, so you know he's safe. But I'm afraid you will need to comply for the safety of everyone," Croquet pressed. It was a discreet reminder and threat at the same time.

Kaiba looked at his horrified little brother. He realized that for his safety, he would have to do this. It didn't seem like they were going to let the brothers go so easily now and Kaiba didn't want to scare him more. "Mokuba, it's fine," he comforted flatly, standing in the doorway where he could see the screen and his brother. He turned to Croquet. "Turn the monitor on so I can see."

Croquet pulled out a remote and did just that. An empty guest room came on the display. It looked much like this one. There was a bed, seating area, table, and ajar door to a bathroom. Kaiba turned his head and nodded at Mokuba. Mokuba went to the door, then turned back to Seto. To test this, Mokuba took his bag and tossed it in the room. Kaiba watched, seeing it.

Again, he nodded. "I'll be right here, Mokuba. It will be fine."

Mokuba knew there was no way out of this. He bowed his head and entered. The assisting goon closed the door and locked it. Kaiba watched the screen as his nervous brother spun around at the sound of the door. Then wrapped his arms around himself before slowly turning back to the room. Kaiba didn't like this. _Once I have my title back, all of this bullshit will be over with_ , Kaiba kept repeating to himself.

"I never thought I'd say this to you, but thank you for understanding. After all, you should of all people. Pegasus has worked very hard to keep his children a secret. Mokuba is a great example of why," Croquet attested.

Seto listened as he watched his brother slowly investigate the accompanying room. It was smart on Pegasus's part. No one would kidnap or threaten someone they didn't know existed. Still, some things didn't make sense. Why would Jem be at his school? And why did she say she didn't talk to her family? Was it to throw him off?

"How do you know about them?" Croquet asked.

Kaiba thought for a moment. He decided to reserve some information until he had a better idea of what was happening. "Duke Devlin," he answered.

Croquet nodded. "That boy has dug much farther than he should have in his fandom." He sighed. "Well you'll be with us until Master Pegasus decides what to do. But like I said, he's busy, so I'm not sure when that will be. Until then, you're just going to have to play by his rules."

Kaiba finally turned his eyes from the monitor to Croquet. "And what are they?"

"You may roam, but only in this wing." This first rule was due to the fact that the children's rooms were far from here and they never had any reason to be there. "There is a small garden at the far end, aside from that there isn't much. The most important rule is that you do not communicate with Mokuba. If you do we have a far bigger situation on our hands. You don't want to drag him into this."

Kaiba again looked at the monitor, taking a few steps towards it. This cleared the doorway.

"I'm going to get a menu. Shall I retrieve one for your brother or would you like to order for him?"

Seto considered this. Once they had entered a new socioeconomic circle Kaiba had gained a lot of experience with fancier cuisine, but Mokuba often had to ask him what things were. He didn't want Mokuba to have this happen and become even more anxious with the reminder of his brother's absence. "I will order. But I want to be able to write him a note with every meal. You can proof read it and even have me edit it if you want. He just needs to know I'm here."

"I think we can accommodate that."

Croquet turned to leave, but before he did, Kaiba interrupted, "Tell Pegasus to move this along. I don't like waiting."

Kaiba watched his brother for a couple minutes as Mokuba wandered around the room. Eventually he curled up in a chair, taking his handheld device out to game. Kaiba was content with this, knowing he would stay put for awhile. He decided to investigate the wing, starting with the garden.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Found

I could see the fear begin to return to her eyes.


	12. Found

_¸,ø¤°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸,ø¤°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸_

* * *

 _Jemmea_

I reached the top of the stairs. The tunnels had been a nightmare and I could only hope that my memory served me right. I cleared the remaining cobwebs in my way, then stacked the torch. I unlatched the door and slowly opened it. This entrance was farther away from Jude's room than it needed to be. His music room was halfway and I would start there.

The corridor was deserted as expected. I was in a blind spot of the cameras. If I took any direct or normal path I would wander into their line of sight. My path was going to be extremely convoluted and difficult, but it was nothing I hadn't done before.

Letting the weight of the door close itself, I went to a nearby window. It opened to a courtyard that was also unmonitored. Hopping over and through the opening, I pushed through the bushes under it and went straight for one of the sloping, decorative yet jagged, castle wall supports. Above it was a narrow ledge that would lead me to the next window. I went hastily and busily, too consumed to notice his stealth. About halfway up I felt strong arms around my waist. I was horrified as they pulled me off and spun me, clasping my wrists and pushing me against the nearby exposed stone.

I flinched, ready to protest and plea when I saw this man did not wear a suit nor sunglasses. Seto wore an outfit like no other I had seen. His sleeveless trench coat caught in the soft wind while his limbs were bound by straps. His dark clothes underneath covered him, and were distractingly well-fitted. For the first time I was distracted by the form of another, then caught myself and quickly raised my eyes to his intent ones. I was so completely dazed by the whole thing, not to mention confused. At first, I was not even confident it was him, between the outfit and reasons he would be here. But there was no mistaking those cold blue eyes as they glared down at me. Those eyes, it was hard to see them look at me in such a cold manner.

He released my hands but didn't move away. He put his hands on the wall beside me, so close that his forearms squeezed my waist a little as he leaned to get down to my eye level.

I was shocked. "Seto, why are you-"

"You," he overrode darkly. "You're not who you said you were."

 _Kaiba_

At first, there was pure fear in her eyes, but when she saw it was me, it seemed to settle as though she was relieved. "I had to find out from Yugi."

She sighed, disgusted, as she turned away. I felt her gently bang a fist into my chest. "I told them not to tell," she said angrily. Her hands came to rest on my arms. She didn't seem aware of it, but to be fair my proximity didn't leave her much choice. It seemed her being in my arms came all too naturally to her. I shook the thought.

"One of his friends confronted me right before I left. I still haven't heard from Jude." With this thought she clutched the ends of the straps on my arms and pulled desperately, looking back up into my eyes. "You haven't seen him, have you?"

"No," I answered.

"Well I can't stay, I have to find him," she protested. She tried pushing me back. I just squeezed her tighter.

"My little brother is here. Your father's goons aren't letting me see him. You're not going anywhere until I get some answers."

She hesitated and I felt her hands soften again. "I didn't tell you because I didn't tell anyone. Somehow they recognized me. That Duke kid is apparently a huge fan of my father's. I played along because I don't know how close they are." Her hands clenched again and she pulled. "Have you told my father that you've seen me?"

I could see the fear begin to return to her eyes. "No," I comforted coldly. "He doesn't know I know you."

Her relieved breath was distinct as I felt her relax a little. "Hopefully that boy from school hasn't told him either."

"Why were you in Domino?"

"Because I'm a runaway. I can't stand it here. Why are _you_ here? You told me you don't get along." It was then that I remembered her early questions about my relationship with the creator, specifically checking that it was bad.

"Business," I stated. "Your father is teasing me and I won't stand for it. Yugi told me your three names and I used them to get in the castle. It's also the reason they won't let me see Mokuba now."

I just glared at her, my eyes hard as they darted back and forth between hers. She looked back at me but wasn't particularly defensive. I remained firm and this caused her to soften.

"You're upset with me?" Jem asked, realizing this.

"More or less," I answered darkly.

"Seto, I'm sorry." I had forgotten that she called me by my given name. It was something I usually hated unless it was Mokuba. But there was something about the way she said my name that only made me want to hear it again. She just looked back and forth between my eyes. "I can't stand to see you so upset with me. I liked it better when you just ignored me."

 _Ignored her?_ I thought. _She's been the most distracting thing I've come across in awhile_.

I was surprised by this. "So you don't like my attention?" She didn't seem to know how to respond as she looked up at me, puzzled. "Well, you sure are friendly, then, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?" she asked defensively.

I glanced at her hand on my arm. "I mean that."

She followed my gaze, seeing what I meant, then quickly retracted her hands. She pulled them close to her chest, an expression of shock on her face. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. She looked up from my arm back to my eyes. "I've never really done that before," she attested. I eased back and looked at her, unconvinced, and she saw this. "Do I do that a lot with you?" she asked bewildered.

"More than I would expect from someone who wants to be ignored," I affirmed.

She didn't seem to know what to say, but then her attention was directed toward the door to my wing. I was almost amused when I felt her reach out and grip me again. "Seto, someone's coming."

I heard them too just as she said it. I felt her again try to go for the stone, but I held onto her. I stepped away from the wall, trapping one of her wrists as I positioned her behind me.

I felt her comply, pressing her side into my back, afraid. She was small enough that I should be able to hide her easily, the brush between us and the door hiding her feet.

Croquet appeared. "Just checking," he remarked when he saw me. "I left the menu in your room. Call when you want something, but try to do it at a reasonable time for the chef." With this, he turned and left again.

I stayed poised as I watched him leave. Once it felt safe I turned, looking down at her over my shoulder. She took a step around me.

"My father is going to try and get information out of you," she warned. "Please don't tell him I'm here. Please don't tell him you know where I've been."

"Why are you a runaway?" I asked.

She looked at me a moment. "My father has a very unconventional way of parenting. Particularly with me."

I related to this only too well.

"Seto, I really need to go find my brother. So can I continue up through that window, or should I just follow Croquet to where the cameras are?" I considered this. I had more questions but this wasn't the place. I felt I would have another opportunity to ask her. If not then it would be because she would reveal herself as something else or I just wouldn't see her again and any answers wouldn't matter. I could let her check on her brother.

I looked at her a moment, then up to see the window. It was several feet away from the column and she would have to navigate a narrow ledge to get there. I didn't like that. I wasn't going to tell, but I also wasn't going to agree to anything. So to answer her question I simply grabbed her again, dragging her under the window. I clutched her waist and spun her, lifting her. She instinctively grabbed the ledge and pulled herself up.

As I stepped back I scolded myself, knowing I had only acted on an opportunity to touch her again.

She seemed surprised and impressed as she pivoted to sit and look down at me.

"Have you met my sister yet?" she asked, eyeing me.

"No," I answered.

"Well if you do," her eyes scanned my being, much like I often did to her when she wasn't looking. "God help you."

I didn't know how to take this, but she simply turned to leave. With one leg through the window, she turned back. "By the way, if it's the same chef from seven months ago, I suggest the salmon." Then she was gone.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Reprimand

"Happy to see me?" she provoked.


	13. Reprimand

Jemmea rushed as fast as she could while still avoiding the cameras. She hastily reached the music room, but there was nothing but a dark room scattered with instruments and equipment. From there it was onto his room. It was also dark and she quickly flipped on the light, but there was nothing.

"Jude?" she called, stepping further into the room. There was no sign that he either had or hadn't been there recently. He didn't keep up with his room and didn't like people going through his stuff, so it was a complete mess. Miss-matched Vans lay strewn across the floor, along with some abandoned clothes, though Jem was proud of him for packing most into the overflowing hamper. His backpack was tossed aside in a corner, but that didn't really mean anything. Most of the room reflected his passion, a guitar aside on his huge bed with big headphones on the end table. A stereo was in his room along with a record player, still enjoying vinyls. He had various blooms and other lights around his room and behind his bed that changed color.

She looked on the balcony, only to see the sun beginning to set and a couple cigarette butts he had been too lazy to sweep off entirely. She huffed, next going to his ajar bathroom door. The bathroom too was dark and empty. Lastly, she checked the large closet only to find more of the same.

She huffed again, frustrated and worried as she placed her hands on her hips. The last place she could think to safely look for him was the roof. She made it up there as quickly as she could, but he was clearly not there either.

Returning to his room, she looked around and there was still nothing. Jem flipped back on his mess of grey bedding, laying on her back with a hand on her ribs, her feet dangling. Thinking to check the time, she twisted to look at his clock. 6:32. Adjusting to get comfortable again, she thought. He was probably at dinner. Probably.

She sighed heavily, trying to calm down. _I should have known this would happen_ , she scolded. For everything he did, it was really only a matter of time before… All the scenarios began running through her head. Most likely an overdose, but maybe he drunkenly fell off of something. _And no one had any way to tell me._ What if he had been alone? What if he was alone and rotting somewhere? Would anyone have really noticed or been concerned by now?

She shot up, looking at the clock again. It had only been five minutes. Jem decided to give him until 7:00 but was already worried. If he was indeed eating she knew him to devour food. There was no way she was going to make it waiting for him. She had to know. She had to see him now.

Hopping up, she bolted. She checked the roof, then his room, then went to his music room again, thinking this should take up the 23 minutes. He was still nowhere to be found and she was only growing more worried. It was time to check the dining hall, which she knew had the highest risk of giving her away, but she had to know. He was everything to her.

Jem went straight to the dining hall, not hesitating to push open the large door. She was both extremely relieved and furious to see her brother sitting there eating dinner—along with her father and sister. They were just all surprised to see her, but all her focus was on him.

"Holy shit," he nearly choked at first, so surprised that she was there. But then he hopped up. "Jemmie, you're here!" The other two were silenced with shock, letting the twins continue as they processed what was happening.

"Why haven't you responded to me?" she demanded as he moved toward her.

Just as he was about to wrap his arms around her, he mentioned, "Sorry, I thought about getting back to you, but..."

With the realization that he had gotten all of her messages, she reached out and slapped him across the cheek, much like how a cat swats defensively, before he could hold her.

"Ow!" he cried, half-curling up and clutching his cheek before he rose slowly. "Ok, I guess I deserved that-"

Just as he straightened up she smacked him again, standing over him. Tears of anger formed in her eyes.

"Ok, ok," he started to defend. "This is getting a little too real-"

"I thought you were dead!" she cried furiously.

"I'm sorry," he said, holding up his hands. "I just... You didn't seem terribly happy when I last saw you and I just wanted you home for Christmas and saw no other way. I'm being selfish, I know..."

"What the fuck is the matter with you?" she cried, clenching her fists.

Before it escalated any further, Pegasus intervened. "Jude, you're excused."

Jude, being entirely done with his dinner for a while now and feeling a lot safer elsewhere, heeded his father and left, sulking. Jem covered her face, trying to contain her emotions.

Pegasus turned to his youngest. "Are you done as well, dearest?"

Effie's deep red lipstick matched the nail polish on her perfectly manicured hands. While Jude spent his time over the years developing his musical talents, she had perfected her beauty routine and always managed to look flawless, though not without effort. Today her dark chocolate hair was down, the crafted waves just reaching her tan shoulders. Her matching brown eyes were fixed on her sister with disgust and jealousy. "Why? You want time with _her?_ " she answered disdainfully.

"Yes, I need to talk to your sister. But don't feel like-"

"It's FINE," Effie huffed unhappily, slapping her napkin onto the table and excusing herself. Her chair screeched as she stood and she hastily pushed past it to exit. Effie kept her eyes on Jem as she walked around, glaring at her.

As she stormed out, Pegasus sighed, but waited. As the staff swooped in to clear the table, he glanced over at his daughter, though tried not to make it obvious. She was clearly upset and very caught up in it at the moment. He was very surprised to see her, though was relieved, not knowing where she had been. He knew his son regularly contacted her but had yet to get past the security on his phone, which she had provided him, somehow. Pegasus still wasn't sure how she supported herself and often worried about it. Aside from that, Jude remaining happy was his only clue that she wasn't hurt. That hadn't stopped him from searching for her, however.

Pegasus sat with his arms and legs crossed, his posh black blazer over his favorite green turtleneck. The curtain of his hair acted as an eyepatch, never caring for the glass replacement. He was turned only slightly, watching his daughter as she fretted. She sniffled a bit, wiping her tears away. She had been terrified.

To his surprise, she came and sat next to him, though she didn't look at him, leaning forward and burying her face, but she knew that he was fixed on her.

After a moment she heard condescendingly, "Now you know how I feel."

She shot up at this, her eyes and arms up, exasperated. "I can't deal with this right now. Not after today, not after the past _three days!_ " she exclaimed, twisting and pointing after her brother.

He gave her this, having plenty else to talk to her about. "I wasn't expecting you."

Jem slowly let her hands fall to her lap, staring back at him as she realized she had indeed turned herself in. She leaned all the way back in the chair, resting the side of her head against the back. "You had no reason to," she replied darkly.

Pegasus had everything meticulously controlled. He had to with his current impromptu guest. Between her being here and Kaiba knowing she existed, it was the last thing he expected and it was very much throwing him off. Kaiba's early arrival and disclosure of the children's names served no other purpose but to throw Pegasus off his game and he knew it. Pegasus wanted to believe that having his daughter back would offer him more control, but he knew she was bitter and capable of a lot. There were too many wildcards in this castle for him to feel entirely secure, but he showed nothing.

"You eat dinner as a family now?" she observed, realizing that was why she couldn't find Jude for so long.

"I'm trying to get a little more discipline into this family," he answered, it sounding like an accusation. "And now if you try to leave again, seeing you on a regular schedule will alert me to your absence before you can get very far."

Jem laughed, unamused. "I'd say locking me in my room for days is discipline enough," she countered.

"Jemma, you ran away. From an island, no less. It was a necessary precaution."

"I know it's not a normal punishment," she continued. "My friend told me."

"Yes, well, you're not a normal child," he replied. Her father gave her a disapproving look. "Your friend at the academy? Is that where you've been?"

"Of course not," she replied. "That would be the first place you'd look for me." And she was right, it had been.

"Jemma, I do so love games, but yours are never very fun," he said disapprovingly. "Now I have some things to attend to. I want you to stay here and eat. Chef! Make my daughter something to eat. Something healthy. God only knows what you've been eating on your own."

They staff scurried to fulfill his order as he stood. "Croquet," he bid. Croquet now exposed himself from his spot in the corner. "Watch her. Jemma I want you going back to your room after this. Croquet, keep her away from any guests, we don't need her being rude to them as well. And away from her siblings. They're not ready to see each other yet. Jemma, you came back on your own so I'm leaving the door unlocked. Don't give me a reason to lock it again." With that, he left.

Jem just looked up to Croquet, not excited to see him. The exchanges they had over the years did not lead to a positive or respectful relationship.

"Happy to see me?" she provoked.

He wasn't going to hide it from her. "Not at all."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Effort

She shot up and went down the stairs, going straight to her father's home office. She let herself in hastily. "Jemma, what are you doing here?"


	14. Effort

Croquet escorted her back to her room. Alone, she flopped down on her bed. As she stared up at the canopy, she thought. Her thoughts hadn't changed much from when she got here—Jude had really scared her. The possibility of something happening to him was too real. She was also thinking about the exchange she had with her father. It was different. There was no theatrics; he talked to her like a normal person. Also the meals, the trusting: he was trying. When she had been sitting down there with him, still shaken by Jude, the scared child in her was actually comforted a bit by seeing her father. It was a feeling she barely remembered from ten years ago, but it was compelling. At least compelling enough. She sat up. She was extremely surprised with herself, but she was going to try, too. Jude's scare had pushed her far enough.

She shot up and went down the stairs, going straight to her father's home office. She let herself in hastily. "Jemma, what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you," she implored. He seemed hesitant, never expecting this from her. "Please." She was really pulling out all the stops.

His eye flashed toward the door. "Lock it," he directed. She knew this meant he was accepting, and quickly turned around to lock it before coming over to his desk. He settled in his chair and her on the other side as he picked up his glass of wine for the conversation.

Jem thought carefully about what to say. Though she was scared, she wouldn't betray her brother's trust and tattle on him. "How is Jude doing in school?" she began with.

"Not well, as you can imagine. He has his own occupations and priorities, as you know," he replied, unimpressed and mostly talking to his wine at the moment.

"I think you should send him to a music school," she requested. "I think it would be good for him."

" _You_ would be good for him," he countered. "He misses you terribly. I don't know how you do it to him."

"...I don't really think it's good for _me_ ," she replied, having an honest yet civil conversation with her father for the first time in forever. She was slightly annoyed, feeling like her father was trying to guilt her, but kept it to herself. "I love Jude, but I don't really think having nothing but him is healthy for me."

"You're seventeen, Jemma. It's not good for you to be out there on your own. Your place is here."

She was not feeling heard at all. But she pushed through it, trying again. "Doing what?"

"Learning to be a decent person. I know you're brilliant, but I know you have some… issues. You are my prodigy child, and I can see you doing some great things, but you need to learn how to find a healthy balance in your life. I'm afraid you don't know how to function as you shut down anytime you're put to the task of doing something you don't like."

Jemmea lowered her eyebrows. "I'm fine, and I'm not your prodigy child, Jude is. Jude is a musical savant, and if you can't see that your blind, or rather deaf in his case. That's why he should be in school."

"Come now, Jemma. Your brother doesn't respond to structure. Can you really see him in a class taking notes and studying for tests?"

"Could you have seen me doing those things?" she countered.

"Yes," he answered, staring her down as he gently swirled the wine in his glass. "That's why you went instead of your brother. I know you better than you give me credit for, Jemma. And I want to have you back in my life. I want you close."

"But I want to go to school," she replied. "I want to graduate. I want to go to university. I've been doing well where I was-"

"It's not an option," he interrupted growing sterner. "You're seventeen. I'm sure you have been doing just fine in school—you're too smart for it. Aside from that, you may have been fine out there, but it's only a matter of time before something happens. I in no way prepared you for a life out there. You wouldn't survive."

"You sound like you're talking about releasing an animal raised in captivity into the wild," she returned, her irritation growing. She caught herself and calmed, trying once more. "I'd be willing to compromise. I'd be willing to go back to Cross Academy-"

Her father set his wine down rather aggressively. "Absolutely not." He glared at her. "And that place is the exact reason why you're not going anywhere else like it. You are staying here."

She was furious, but caught herself and only yelled at him internally: _I can't believe you! I'm trying to actually communicate with you and you won't even listen to me. I have spent less than an hour with you and it is already so clear to me why I left in the first place. I get to choose my life, not you!_ It was time to leave, but she purposefully contained herself so as to not give herself away.

Jemmea smiled, doing all she could to contain herself. "Fine," she said, her voice false and lovely.

"Jemma, don't give me that. You're upset," he scoffed, going for his wine again.

With this she knew that he could be onto her and may soon put the castle on lockdown, leaving her only chance at getting out of here dependent on being faster than him. Perhaps she could instill enough doubt in him to buy her time. "I'm not loving it, but I need some time to think about it. You think on it, too. I'm tired, we'll talk about it tomorrow." With that, she stood and saw herself out, but Pegasus wasn't convinced. Perhaps if she hadn't run away before, he would have bought it. Now he wasn't risking it.

He switched on his video feeds and narrowed his eyes. His gut compelled him to press a button to a speaker on his desk. "Croquet, Kemo, have your men lock all exterior doors. That means doors to the tunnels as well. And find Jemma. She just left my office upset. She's likely headed for the tunnel entrance near the southwest wing. Stop her, she's not leaving this island again."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Strict

This was enough to get me moving.


	15. Strict

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* * *

 _Kaiba_

I stood with my arms crossed watching Mokuba eat. I hadn't ordered anything, not completely trusting him. Besides, I hated eating. It was such a nuisance. I wasn't concerned about Mokuba. I was fairly certain that Pegasus had moved on from his old plan after he and the Big 5 suffered such a thorough and devastating defeat. In the event that he was up to his old tricks, then he would need Mokuba safe, which he seemed to be.

Being here was also a nuisance, but I needed this information. Ever since I learned of the God Cards' existence they had been all I was able to think about. I knew they were my path to not only championship but maintaining it, especially since Yugi no longer had Exodia. This is what I wanted to be thinking about, but I had one distraction.

Jem had seemed sincere, but I had trust issues. I was trying to figure out what to do when I noticed some movement and turned my eyes. The windows to my room were of the garden as it stretched around. On the other side was an open stone corridor where Jem had come from, separated only by a number of open window-like gaps. A goon hurried through it. I went over to the window, watching as he hastily found the door she likely came from and locked it, but took long enough to check and ensure that it was secure before he hurried on around the corner.

This only backed up what she told me. If she had been playing Pegasus's game and was trying to trick me, I doubt they would have thought it through or been concerned enough to do this now. It certainly wasn't for me as it was unlikely I would have even noticed this. Besides, the climb she did was rather dangerous and I doubted Pegasus would have asked his daughter to do that. The only reason I could think of was that the goon would be doing that now is that they had found her.

I went back and opened my door. As soon as it cracked I heard the familiar click of her heels echoing through the halls. Then I heard Kemo's much too familiar voice call, "Oi, brat."

At once the clicks sped up. I heard the latch of a heavy door and it start to creak open. Before it could have opened wide enough I heard it slam and her cry desperately, "No!" Then, "No, don't touch me! Get _off_ of me!" as she struggled.

This was enough to get me moving. I went in hurried strides towards where the sound was coming from. The acoustics of the castle made it sound like it was a lot closer than it was. As I went I heard Kemo greet, "Master Pegasus, I got your daughter for you."

"I was just going outside to think," she lied.

"Then you could have chosen a courtyard or your balcony. I can see right through your fibbing."

"Let go of me!" she cried more fiercely.

It was then that I turned the last corner. I could see her way up ahead. Kemo had her in a chokehold, stretching her a little farther than she was made for, even in her heels. Her hands clawed at his arm, but she had no luck.

"Jemma, stop. The more you struggle the worse you're making it for yourself," Pegasus warned nonchalantly.

She didn't comply and instead stomped, clearly trying to hit Kemo's foot. "I said let go!" He noticed, hoisting her up and tossing her over his shoulder. She continued to struggle, lifting her torso up so he had to mind his balance as she moved.

"Jemma, this is no way to behave. I'm sorry your brother tricked you, but you knew what you were coming back to."

"I just want to go home," she lamented.

Pegasus narrowed his eyes, or the one he still had, anyway. There was no telling what was behind his hair. "You are home."

She continued to writhe. It was clear she would bolt as soon as she broke free. I was frantically trying to think what I could do as I approached. Pegasus sighed, "Jemma, stop making this worse for yourself." She didn't heed him, now refusing to even speak to him. "Fine. I'm assuming you sailed here? Croquet, find her boat and burn it."

Jem turned toward him, tears now in her eyes as she saw all hope fading away. " _No!"_ she sobbed as she keeled over. She began trying to twist her way down and Kemo wrapped both arms tighter around her legs. " _Please!_ "

"No, Jemma. The time for negotiations has come and gone. You've made it very clear what your intentions are and I'm not letting you leave this island. You know what, Croquet, have all the boats burned."

"Yes, sir."

"No!" She began crying, fighting him with all that she had left as she saw her last opportunity to escape wither away. "Not again…"

"Jemmea, calm yourself. You're getting too worked up," Pegasus warned. She didn't heed him, continuing to writhe and plea.

"Sir, do you want me to…?" Croquet insinuated.

Pegasus huffed, crossing his arms. "She's not leaving me any choice… Go ahead."

Croquet approached her. When he was close, he reached into his breast pocket and Pegasus closed his eyes. She became more panicked and I hurried faster.

Croquet extracted a syringe, taking the cap off. "Don't, don't!" she cried. It seemed this wasn't the first time.

I finally reach them, just entering the room. "What the hell is going on?" I demanded. I thought my presence might make him stop, but he pricked her in the hip anyway. I was the last thing she saw. It looked like she began to reach a hand out to me, but then she went limp. I did not like this _at all_.

Hearing me, Pegasus opened his eyes. He then turned them to her and in his ordinary overdramatic tone scolded, "Now Jemma, you've upset our guest!" He turned back to me. "I do apologize, Kaiba-boy. As you can see, she's a bit unruly. I'm working on it."

"Shall I bring her up to her room, Master Pegasus?" Kemo asked.

"No, I'll do it. You have a job to do." His men looked nervous. I had heard that Pegasus had been weak when we left the island before. He was probably still recovering. But like my men, they knew not to question it.

Kemo brought her over, slowly setting her down as Pegasus took her into his arms. He gently guided her down, kneeling to free one hand. With one arm he held her, resting her on his leg. He used the other to rest her head on his shoulder and gently brush the blonde strands out of her face. "Oh Jemma, why do you insist on leaving me? I don't much care for this phase of yours."

"This is how you treat your children?" I refuted.

"Just her. Don't let her size fool you, she can be very stubborn and feisty," he responded. "But I can't keep her safe if she's not here."

"I can hardly blame her for not wanting to be," I countered. "Your goon just had her in a chokehold before you drugged her."

He glanced at me then snapped, "She'll live."

I wasn't convinced. "Don't try and pretend like this is about keeping her safe or doing what's best for her. You just don't want anyone to be able to use her against you."

He narrowed his eyes. "She is none of your business. How I raise my children is none of your business. Keep out of it." He eased back a bit, becoming more sly as he seemed to remember something. "Ah, yes, Kaiba-boy. It's coming back to me now. Strict parenting would bother you, wouldn't it?"

I immediately escaped the conversation. "You owe me a meeting."

"All in good time, Kaiba-boy. As you can see I'm a little tied up in the moment." He placed his spare hand on her head and kissed her forehead. Perhaps it wouldn't have bothered me so much if it seemed like something that would have happened when she was conscious.

"Your men were ready to bring her up. It sounds like another excuse."

"I have a strict policy about not leaving any men that are unrelated to her alone with my _unconscious_ daughter," he countered. I couldn't argue: it was a good answer.

He looked up at me. "She may have seen your helicopter. I don't think she can fly one but she's smart and desperate. I'll be needing the keys to ensure she can't leave. You can have them back when we finally chat."

"Like hell-"

"That or Obelisk. If you have the keys I need something to ensure you are at least not leaving without my knowledge." I narrowed my eyes, then reached in my pocket and tossed the keys, sliding to his feet. "Now, don't you have a tournament to plan?"

I glanced at her one last time. "Hurry up. Patience isn't one of my strong suits." With that I turned. I didn't want to, but there was nothing I could do for now.

The experience had shaken me, reminding me too much of my upbringing at my stepfather's house. Jem had been so tormented and hysterical that they sedated her. That's how it was for her here. I had seen her in her preferred location. There she was quiet, focused, and happy. I recalled again how she would lay a hand on my chest as she passed by and how mesmerized she was with city lights. How she lit up when I told her she didn't have to do any public speaking. How soft her features were every time I glanced over at her.

I wasn't worried about the keys. Little did they know that Mokuba held a second set. This was fine because I wasn't leaving the island without him. And now I wasn't sure I could leave this island without her.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Ablaze

All I could do was hope.


	16. Ablaze

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* * *

 _Jemmea_

I awoke on my old bed, hazy. He had sedated me again, though I suppose I had left him no choice. _And had-?_

I closed my eyes again and covered them with my arm. Seto had seen me like that. It was the last thing I remembered. The embarrassment more than I could handle, I decided the best way to deal with it was to forget it ever happened.

My head hurt a little, but I sat up anyway. Some fresh air would do me good. As I sat up I realized my shoes were missing. _Oh yeah, because I tried to injure Kemo with them_. I flipped on a faint light. I could see my closet door was ajar and as I suspected, there were no stilettos in sight.

I rose, slowly walking around the bed. Stopping at my door, I twisted and tugged just to verify that I was indeed locked in. Sighing, I made my way to my balcony.

It was newly night, the faint remnants of the sun in the sky slowly fading. It only made the blazing ships stand out all the more. I crossed my arms over my body and covered my mouth. I'd forgotten. I had hoped he didn't mean it, but there they were. The marina contained bigger boats and the cluster was ablaze. My ship was still bright though as it collapsed in the distance. I hadn't bothered to paint over the boat name, too concerned about Jude. It was unlikely that the goons had thought to note it, then being able to figure out where I had been. All I could do was hope.

My eyes glazed as I watched. I didn't know what to do now. I was dazed as I watched the boats burn.

After some time I heard the locks on the other side of the door come undone. I had learned how to pick locks, having nothing else to do when I was locked in here. Now there was a series of chains and bolts outside my door. At one point there was a padlock on the door, which my brother had simply removed in one piece with a screwdriver.

When they finished, there was a pause. I was expecting Croquet, but instead, I heard Jude through the door.

"So… the locks on your door have gotten a little intense," he commented cautiously. I tried not to show anything, though I was extremely nervous. My father only pulled shit like this with me. I didn't want Jude to know. I didn't want him to worry and act out and end up getting the same treatment. The locks were the one thing I couldn't hide. "Did you try to run away again?"

"Are you upset?" I asked.

"No. And you know Jemmie, he's just trying to keep you safe. You're not leaving him much choice… just saying." This actually relieved me, realizing it didn't seem too abnormal to Jude. "Anyway, I unlocked it. And ah… I'm sorry Jemmie."

I didn't want him to see the boats. It was extreme and something an insane person does. "Go to your music room," I requested.

I thought I heard some muffled movement and then nothing.

Finally turning around, I noticed a pitcher with water and lemon on my scarcely used vanity. Beside it was a glass and two aspirin. He remembered the sedative hurt my head.

After I drank a bit more I went down to see my brother. I didn't worry about the cameras as I wasn't a threat anymore. I was still weak from the drugs and it was clear that I was defeated. If Max noticed I was gone from my room but could find me on the cameras he would make less of a fuss as well.

Despite the walls being extra thick, I could hear Jude before I opened the door. He was strumming his electric guitar and singing to himself.

When he heard the echo of the door he set it down and stood. "Jemmie, I'm so sorry. I was too high to function for an entire day, then completely slept through the next one. By the time I woke up I felt shitty and saw the collection of your messages. When I checked them and you threatened to come home… well, there was nothing I wanted more. I just missed you and wanted Christmas as a family. I know that's not an excuse. I just want you to know how sorry I am."

I had my arms crossed but released one to dismiss him. I wasn't going to let his guilt dwell. "It's fine, Jude, it is what it is. I'm sorry I hit you."

"That shit _hurt_ ," he responded, though he appeared to get more of his cheeriness back. He seemed to find some humor in it.

I came around, finding a seat near him at his piano. I turned away from it and towards him, my arms still crossed. "I was really worried about you Jude. I thought something horrible happened to you."

"Oh my god, I O.D. _one_ time and-"

"What?" I demanded, not hearing this before.

He hesitated, realizing he hadn't told me. Then, just like him, he played it off. "It's fine. I'm fine," he attested.

I huffed and turned away, _very_ unhappy but too late to do anything about it. He started to play again and I stopped him. "Could you just wait a couple of minutes? My head kind of hurts."

"For sure," he complied. He set it down on a stand and then reached into its case, extracting the ingredients for a joint.

I sighed and turned away. "I don't want to hear it, Jemmie," he scolded.

"I know," I said, turning back. "That's why I didn't say anything."

It was quiet for a moment as he began his process, though he nodded his head to a beat. He proved that it was not quiet in his mind, as I'm sure it never was, when he clapped twice then sang:

" _Ever wonder if it's  
all for you?  
The world I love  
The trains I hop  
to be part of  
the wave, Can't stop"_

He clapped twice again at the end then said, "You know I worry about you too, Jemmie."

I was trying to disengage from what he was doing as he prepped, but with this, I sharply turned to him. "What?"

He shrugged. "You live in a city. It's not really safe."

"What do you mean? We went all the time and it was fine. And I've been fine."

He lit his final product, deeply inhaling. "Well, that's because I looked out for you," he admitted with a cloud of smoke. "I didn't want you to feel unsafe." He extended the joint to me, following proper etiquette. "Do you want some? It will help with your head."

"No thanks, it's mostly gone," I disregarded. He didn't hesitate to take my turn. "Give me an example."

He nodded. "Well, the number of times McGold has said something to or about you and the number of times I've beat the shit out of him match almost perfectly." McGold was the last name of Sam, his friend and drummer. "And did you ever notice how every time a guy handed you a drink at one of those gatherings we went to, I'd take it and give it to Sam? How I was the only one who got you drinks?"

"I thought you were just doing that to be funny," I replied.

"Nope. I mean a little, but it was mostly a precaution. Turns out one of them actually was drugged. I never took you back there." He started to laugh a little.

"What?"

"Nothing," he answered. "Just McGold that night. And how pissed that guy must have been."

"Well, I don't do what we used to do. I'm just home all the time," I replied.

"That's what I tell myself, too," he answered. He peered at me, curiosity eating at him. "You don't ever hang out with that Kaiba guy?"

"Only if group projects count," I answered.

"You know," Jude continued. "I thought that was just too funny, Jemmie. I mean, you hate our fucking dad. You hate everything he stands for, which is pretty much Duel Monsters, so you run away to _Domino City_ and start hanging around Seto Kaiba." He laughed again. "You know that's where all the duelists live, right? That kid with the crazy multicolored hair? Turns out, that's Yugi _Muto_."

"Yeah, he's in my English class," I replied objectively. "So?"

"So he's the fucking Duel Monsters Champion."

"Champion?" I repeated, puzzled.

"Yeah, like _international_ champion, number one duelist in the world. And that Kaiba guy-?"

"He and Max's company work together and he's kind of a big deal in the community, yeah, I know," I finished, trying to prove that I, at least, knew something.

"Kind of a big deal? Wow Jemmie, no. He's considered the second best duelist in the world. He used to be the undefeated world champion. That Muto kid beat him and apparently your friend there has been all bitter about it since. And the same thing happened with our dad: Pops beat him and apparently the guy couldn't take it. So Kaiba despises our dad too, but those are the only two people who have ever beaten him. He held the title for a long time before Yugi appeared on the scene."

This was a lot of information. "I guess I moved to the wrong city," was all I could say.

Again, Jude chuckled. "Yeah, for hating our father's game so much, yeah, I'd say you fucking moved to the wrong city."

"How do you know all this anyway?" I asked him.

"Thought I'd read up on it. You know, check up on who you surround yourself with-"

"Jesus, Jude," I muttered under my breath.

"-Besides, I don't have enough sex, drugs and rock and roll to fill up _all_ hours of my day."

"That's surprising," I said flatly as he began to reach the end of his joint. "Jemmie, why do you want to go so badly, anyway? It's less than a year until we turn 18. Can't you just suffer through it until then? That's why I'm doing."

"You honestly think that suddenly he's going to just let me walk out the door? You think he's going to let me go to university and pursue things that I'm interested in? When has that _ever_ happened?"

"Look, all I know is that I don't fight him and he lets me do whatever I want. You could try and do the same. Not telling you to, just saying." With that, he put out the last flicker of his joint. "How's your head now?" he asked.

"It's fine, go ahead."

He picked up his guitar and resumed, not just strumming but tapping and sometimes using both hands to pluck. My brother had loved playing with sound and rhythms and developing melodies for as long as I could remember.

"What are you playing?"

"Nothing in particular," he replied, nodding his head along and watching his hands as they danced over the instrument.

"I was going to say, this doesn't sound like the other stuff. This is more how I remember you," I commented. Growing up all I did was watch Jude play with sounds. When we were a bit older and he was able to first play the guitar at a party he was amazed and in love. From there he started his collection, but where he put more of his efforts were related to the attention he got from others.

He looked up at me and smiled, continuing to play. "You always did appreciate it. Everybody else gets excited about other stuff. I've missed it." His eyes returned to his task but he kept talking. "I've been trying to get Sam and Declan to try incorporating some other stuff. They were reluctant at first but are getting into it and we're getting a really cool sound. But here," he completely ceased, laying his hand on the cords to silence them.

"I have something else you will like better," he said somewhat excitedly as he returned the guitar and stood up at the same time. He walked around his many instruments, finally settling at his less popular harp. Gently, he rested it on his shoulder.

"This is something I have been working on. Pops wants me to play at this Christmas party we're having. He wanted 'something classy'. I figured the harp was pretty classy and you'd like it... if you came."

"Christmas party?" I moaned, this being the first I'd heard of it.

Before I could groan and complain, he said, "You're going to be fine, Jemmie. You're going to make it."

Then he began to play and it was simply beautiful. Enchanting enough to distract me from my present and upcoming woes.

 **Forgot to post yesterday, so two chapters today. I hope you all are liking it. Reviews are real handy!**

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Midnight

Then I huffed, unable to procrastinate any longer, not just because I was out of things to do but was possibly running out of time. I backtracked, finding my way to the garden.


	17. Midnight

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* * *

 _Jemmea_

I eventually wandered back to my room. I took no time to shower, washing away the day and smell of smoke. I knew what I needed to do next but was dreading it.

I dried my hair and did my best to make myself look presentable. I chose a reasonable dress and some sandals that I knew would stay on my feet. Then I huffed, unable to procrastinate any longer, not just because I was out of things to do but was possibly running out of time. I backtracked, finding my way to the garden. Getting down from the window was a little bit harder than getting up, especially without Seto's help.

I was proud of myself as I landed somewhat gracefully. The courtyard was rather pretty in the moonlight, but I felt relieved to see that the garden was partially illuminated by yellow light from the windows of the guest wing. Unless he left them on when he departed, it was likely he was still here. I was curious as to whether it would be his brother or him but was relieved when I saw Seto.

He was on the provided couch, again working at his laptop. I made my way to his window, trying to think of a way I could get his attention without spooking him. Nothing came to mind, so I sighed and lifted a finger to tap on his window.

Startled, his head shot in my direction. As soon as he saw it was me he quickly set his laptop on the coffee table and came over to the window. He unlocked and opened it letting in the night air. Then he stood back, inviting me in.

I tried to climb through the window as gracefully as possible, teetering a bit when my feet hit the floor. In an attempt to keep my balance I reflexively tossed a hand up. I was surprised when Seto caught it, allowing my hand to rest in his as I found my balance.

I looked up at him. He seemed so much further away and intimidating without my heels to boost me. After a moment, I decided to ask, "If I touched you so much before, how come you never stopped me or told me off?"

He seemed displeased with the question, dropping my hand and redirecting the topic. "Did they hurt you?"

I realized he was referring to earlier and bowed my head in shame, crossing one arm over myself to clasp the other. "No. Well, I took some painkillers for my head and I haven't seen anything," I answered, quickly looking and twisting my legs to double check for bruises. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I understand," he replied boldly.

I looked up to him, not expecting that. His eyes lingered a moment longer on my legs. "Your parents are… the same?" I asked.

"No," he replied. "They're dead. But my stepfather was, in his own twisted ways."

As soon as our eyes met he turned away, going back to his computer. "They're all gone, now," he dismissed. "I don't want to talk about it."

I nodded. "Ok," I agreed simply.

As he busied himself I noticed his television was on. I took a few steps towards it as I studied it. There was a young raven-haired boy asleep in what I recognized as the guest room across the hall. "That's your brother?" I clarified.

"Yes," he replied flatly.

"Mokuba, you said?" I recalled, turning back to him.

"Hm."

"Why is he sleeping in his clothes?" I questioned.

"Because I told him to be ready to go," Seto answered.

I came around, sitting in a chair adjacent to him. "Are you leaving soon?"

"I'm not sure," he replied as he sat back, crossing his arms and finally giving me some of his attention. "Pegasus keeps finding excuses to avoid speaking with me."

 _Kaiba_

"He won't until he's ready. He's probably not doing anything. But he is practiced and purposeful. Until he thinks his plan is solid enough or feels up to it, he'll avoid you. He doesn't like being thrown off."

Everything she just said made sense. I said nothing, having no answer for it. I had stayed because I wanted that information. I didn't think he would be so uptight about his children, otherwise, I wouldn't have mentioned them. I was trying to find the right balance of throwing him off to maintain some control and ultimately being compliant, knowing I had to play by his rules to get my information.

She edged forward in her chair, seeming to get a little shy.

"Um, but that's a large part of the reason I came down here. I'm sorry if this is a lot to ask," she said as she painfully closed her eyes. She opened them again to me, "but you're kind of my last hope at getting off this island-"

"I still have some questions," I interrupted, not fully ready to trust her.

She nodded once and looked away, understanding but not excited about it. When she was ready, she looked back at me. "What do you want to know?"

"Why Domino?"

She shrugged. "The only real influencing factors were the weather, size, and educational institutions. It was mostly random, at least it was supposed to be. I didn't realize it had so many… duelists. Though perhaps it worked out. Probably not expecting me to go there, he hasn't been able to find me yet."

"Why is your relationship with your father the way it is? How did it get to this point?"

"It wasn't always like this," she replied. "I feel like I liked him when I was younger. My parents had us much too young, hence my ridiculous name. In fact, they were about our age." She shook her head with the realization. "I'm sure they weren't prepared, but it was ok for a while. He was ok, trying to make up for my mother who…" She shook her head, trying to think of how to describe it. "She just always seemed so exasperated with us. He has paintings of her everywhere, but they're just how he wanted to see her. He ignored whatever was wrong with her and she ended up killing herself. I wasn't supposed to, but saw it," she shook her head, not wanting to go into detail. "My father went into grieving and disappeared for a while. He's had a drink in his hand ever since-"

"That explains a lot," I grunted.

She nodded. "He fired my nanny and hired more suits not really fit to help him raise us. I remember I was a bit scared of them, but that only made them more annoyed with me. I got into more and more trouble all the time. Then he got that creepy eye and we he put all of his energy into creating that game. My brother seemed to be the only person who cared about me anymore so I just tried to do what made him happy. He likes experimenting and trying to be normal. I guess we met the wrong people and we got into drugs. When my father found out he separated us and sent me away to a boarding school. I was furious with him for separating us. Without access to drugs and or my brother, I was able to find myself and grew to like it there. Right when that happened he pulled me out, sending me to charm school to teach me some decency, as he put it. I spitefully got myself kicked out. Also, it was bullshit. And then you've seen- well you know."

"How do you support yourself?" I continued, never giving her any reaction.

"My mother had me when she was sixteen. Before she died, she prepared a letter to be delivered to me on my sixteenth birthday. It said how she was sorry and the potential she saw in me. She didn't want me to end up like her, she wanted me to keep learning and making something of myself. To help me pursue such things she gave me access to a trust fund. After receiving that, being away from here, and reading so much about the world, all I want to do is leave, and all he wants to do is keep me here."

I stared at her a moment, finally deciding that her answers were satisfactory. "You can come with me, so long as you're ready when it's time to go."

"Really?!" she exclaimed, leaning in and laying her hands on my knee. She caught herself, this time, swiftly drawing her hands back. "Sorry," she professed. "I didn't ruin it, did I?"

A significant part of me had wanted her to pull herself even closer, pressing herself to me. I didn't like these feelings. I quietly dealt with them before answering her. "No. Next semester is a lab and we're going to basically always need a partner. You're the only one I can tolerate."

She giggled. I wasn't being mean enough, but I found myself unable to go full out on her. I knew it was to keep her as an option and I had serious problems with my self-discipline for allowing this. But damn was she sweet when she laughed. I should hate it. I wanted to, but I couldn't.

"What is it?" I snapped.

She shrugged, _smiling_. And of course just to make it harder, her smile was beautiful. "I just enjoy your responses. They're not typical." She glanced up at my eyes. After a moment she expanded, "They're delightfully brazen and straightforward."

 _Great, my hostility only draws her to me._ She was proving tough to fight.

There was another aspect to this that I quite enjoyed, however. I had seen her fight with everything she had, proving to be quite the handful for Pegasus. Yet here she was, sitting next to me and proving to be perfectly compliant with me.

She broke the gaze, shaking her head and almost laughing to herself, but this time it was different.

"What?" I pried.

"I am sorry for not telling you who I," she huffed, " _legally_ am." She looked back up at me. "The idea was that I didn't have to be her anymore and there would be no reason anyone ever needed to know. Yet if I had just told you, you were coming here anyway and could have told me that Jude was fine."

She shook her head and sighed. "Anyway, I should go. I found out that Max wants to throw a Christmas party in the next couple of days so I have to think of something truly heinous to do tomorrow so he'll lock me away long enough that I won't have to go."

"I told you to be ready to leave," I reminded disdainfully.

Her eyes bounced back to me. "Right." She shook her head, losing her focus on me again. "Ugh, I'm already getting too comfortable here. So what's your plan for getting out of here?"

I glanced at my screen, which she had failed to notice until now. "I've hacked Pegasus's surveillance system."

"You have?" she echoed, amazed. She hopped up, coming to sit _right_ next to me, which I wasn't prepared for. She sunk down when she saw the feeds, not seeming to be aware of how close she was to me while it was all I could think about. "You have," she breathed.

She pivoted a bit, her hand coming to rest on my knee. Again, she wasn't aware and I didn't say anything. "Can you tamper with it?"

"I could pass or rewind it to make it look like halls were empty."

Her eyes glanced away for a moment as she processed this. Flashing back to me, she asked, "I'd like to leave the castle for a bit. Want to come?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Where would you go?"

"This island is beautiful, the people on it are what ruin it for me. I particularly love the beach and would like to visit it while I'm here. I'm hoping to not be able to after this." She glanced at my screen. "And as I suspected since he burned the ships his security has lessened. He probably thinks I'm exhausted, depressed and scheming and is expecting something from me tomorrow, so he's having them rest." She looked back at me. "So now is the best time."

I looked at her unenthusiastically, then at the dark screen, seeing my brother fast asleep. I didn't really want to, but she interested me. Also, I wanted to scope out the castle more to be ready with escape routes which she could show me.

Leaning forward, I set the quiet film on a loop, allowing for some slight movement from torches and whatnot. Then I turned to her. "We have until dawn."

She smiled and hopped up. I had just made her happy again. "Well then, let's go."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Where the Ocean Meets the Land

No one could ever understand. I didn't think actually finding someone who did was worth finding, let alone that it would actually mean anything to me until she was right there.


	18. Where the Ocean Meets the Land

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* * *

 _Kaiba_

My trust, as always, was being tested, so I decided to see where she led me. After tonight I would decide if she was deceitful like her father or if she was telling the truth. I had mixed feelings about each outcome. If she had been manipulating me I could hate her and be done with her, but even though I'd be able to hide it well, I knew it would hurt. If she was telling the truth then she was even more vulnerable and valuable to me than in Domino. This worked both ways. I was clearly valuable to her as her only way out of this place. Yet the attention of mine that she held had the potential to damage my pride and my trust, two things that I knew were fragile enough as is. She was dangerous to me.

Soon we reached the beach. Taking her shoes off, she dangled them from one hand. "Just, give me a minute," she requested.

Jem ran ahead and I stayed put. She waded into the waves until they were just below her knee. Occasionally, a wave would come and would nip at the bottom of her dress. It was light and moved gently around her knees. I had only seen her in a dress once before: the one she wore to my office. The memory seemed to jerk me. It was so surreal now... I didn't know what that kiss at the end meant to her, but I thought about it for days after. Though, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it meant something to _me_. Personally, all of it was confusing and unnatural.

She took a few steps and walked at the edge of the shifting tide, just up to her ankles. Not quickly, but more freely. She seemed to be tuning everything out and just feeling the warm air and listening to the sound of the waves.

I was further up the beach and I didn't think she thought I could hear her, but she was singing something to herself. Sometimes I could make out pieces of it:

" _...we sail today, tears drown in the wake of delight..._ " It was haunting, though so was she.

I waited, watching her at the edge of the beach. She stopped and looked up at me, seeming to come out of her trance. Her blue eyes shone out of the dreariness like fire in the dark.

"The water is warm," was all she said. She seemed to be trying to explain. I didn't care. I could have watched her all night. She was enchanting and distracted me from my concerns. But I made no notion that would convey that to her.

She came further up the beach, dropped her shoes, and sat down next to them facing the water. I walked down and stood next to her. I took off my jacket, bundling and tossing it to the sand before sitting down beside her. I recognized that many of my jackets may come across as a bit aggressive, which is partially why I liked them, but right now I need to manipulate her and appear more inviting. This would hopefully aid in her letting her guard down, and perhaps think that I was doing the same. She only stared at the sky. I looked up, gazing at the stars myself.

"It's absolutely beautiful," she said softly, just as she had upon seeing the city lights from my office. "You cannot see them as well in the city, but the city is a marvel in itself."

"Hmm," was my only response, not interested.

She shifted her gaze from the stars to me. She looked me over for a few seconds but I didn't turn my head. Sighing, she looked before of her. She became so fixed that I looked myself. Off to the side of the beach was fresh driftwood, the charcoaled remains of the boat. I turned back to see her glaring at it, her eyes glazed a bit. I could tell they were not simply an escape for her but something she truly loved. I knew what that was like, having to hide my beloved cards from my stepfather all that time once he took my games.

A tear fell. Knowing I could see her she closed her eyes, trying to stop more tears and in denial about how much emotion she was showing. However, this only caused all that was gathered in her eyes to fall.

This brought back some purposefully hidden memories for me, memories of my stepfather and how he was. I hadn't thought about it because he was gone and Mokuba and I were where we needed to be. Well, aside from Yugi- I shook it off, not wanting to think about it right now or feel the anger that went along with it. Not when I felt this feeling that I had when I looked at her in the moonlight. The memories I had were just memories for me now, but for her, it was her future unless someone did something about it. Then I realized that I seemed to be the only person who could do something about it. Her future was in my hands.

A warm breeze came and moved a strand of long blonde hair in her face. She was so beautiful, even now, and so close and vulnerable. In that moment I was so drawn to her, provoking a longing to touch her fueled by curiosity. My body had been crying for her for a while now. I secretly wanted to know what that touch felt like, and our seclusion coupled with my curiosity defeated my self-discipline. Reaching out, I brushed the strand back behind her ear. Taking her face in both my hands, I then gently wiped away her tear stains. I couldn't bear to see them. I did not handle emotions well.

When I did this, she finally turned to me, a bit of surprise overcoming the sadness in her eyes. It was then that I saw she had never had a tender hand touch her before, aside from perhaps her brother, though our context was very different. She didn't seem to know what to do with it. I only knew that feeling too well. Since the moment I met her, I knew that exact confusion and alien feeling that fondness brought and I had now extended to her. I looked into her eyes, and for the first time, they showed her fragility.

And then, so suddenly it surprised me too, I told her about my stepfather. How he liked to play games, too. How I had overthrown him. How I knew. I didn't make it long, but I was trying to tell her that at some level, I understood. Until now, I had never known of another who experienced the same hell that I did. Mokuba could sympathize, but Gozaburo had in no way treated him the same was he had me. No one could ever understand. I didn't think actually finding someone who did was worth finding, let alone that it would actually mean anything to me until she was right there. Still, I did not allow myself to show any of this. I still held little interest in delving into feelings.

She looked at me a moment after I finished, then nestled her face in my hands, reaching up to cover them with her own and closing her eyes. I knew then that she had aligned herself with me. She would not be a problem, and she would not be resistant to me. Then she again opened her eyes. Once more our gaze met, but this time, neither of us broke the trance. Neither of us had anything to hide anymore. I thought about the kiss she had left on my cheek again. I remembered how, as she had moved closer, I had secretly hoped for something more. She was so close now as we sat alone on the beach. I literally had her in my hands, and in that moment I felt closer to her than I had to anyone in a long time, perhaps ever. I knew when it came down to it I was still alone and that this was only a moment, but it was a moment that meant something to me. Tonight, with this emotional bullshit, something in me demanded that the emotional closeness to her be matched by a physical closeness. With no witnesses, it was harder for me to fight it than normal, and I craved it so badly that I gave in.

Slowly, I brought her face to mine as I leaned in and closed my eyes. In a moment I felt the softness of her lips on mine as I gently kissed her. She kissed back, softly at first, seeming a bit hesitant. As the kiss continued and deepened her touch grew firmer and her moves were plainly intentional. Releasing her face, her hands then moved to my cheeks and jaw as I wrapped my arms around her waist. I pulled her against me, removing any reservations in obtaining all I wanted. She wrapped her arms around my neck, holding herself to me, and it felt wonderful. It tugged on me a bit, and I pivoted, cradling her as I laid her back in the sand.

Her hands again found my face. I started to slow my kisses then finally pulled back, hovering just a few inches to look at her. After a moment she slowly opened her bright eyes. First, they met mine. She moved one of her hands, using her fingers to delicately brush the hair away from my eyes. She clearly wanted this but seemed to be testing to see if I liked it too. With her hand resting on my cheek, she stared up at me for a moment, then dropped her eyes to my mouth. She bit her bottom lip, taking her thumb to brush along mine. Once she had, she licked and rubbed her lips together before looking back up at me. I loved watching her. I realized I had yet to fully consume her attention, and found I quite liked it when I had it.

Watching her hands as they ran through my hair and down my jaw, she laughed a bit.

"What?" I demanded.

Jem looked back into my eyes. "Where did you come from?" she marveled.

"What do you mean?"

She hesitated but decided she wouldn't hide it from me. Though as she spilled her more private emotions, she couldn't find it in her to look right at me. "Well, up until now I have felt hopeless, depressed and trapped." She shrugged. "All things to be expected here. But now," she looked back at me, confessing, "I feel happy, and calm," her hands fell to rest on my arms around her, "and safe. It's something I never expected." She held my gaze, quiet for a moment before admitting, "You're perhaps everything I could never dare to hope for, and yet here you are."

I didn't think about her words, afraid that if I did I would relate more than I wanted to them. I lessened my hold, pulling away and rolling to my back. She didn't allow me to pull away so easily and moved with me, coming to lay her head on my chest as she realigned her body to mine, and I welcomed it. Now, to have so much of her touch, especially that which was purposeful and lasting, I was able to evaluate it. Unfortunately, I really liked it.

We laid on the beach for a long time as I thought. After some time she fell asleep, exhausted, and her breath paced itself evenly. I felt some need to protect her, now knowing how horrible Pegasus was to her, his own daughter. I really should have known all along. She had never really given me any reason to doubt her, but he had given me every reason to know better. With all that I had seen, the only thing that added up was the story she presented me with. Pegasus using her had too many variables and holes to make sense, whatever the purpose it was too unlikely to succeed for the effort that would be put in.

Settling on this, with a view of the starlit sky and her head on my chest, I started to relax. I'm not sure I felt safe enough to sleep in that room, but here, with her, I was calm enough. And no one knew where we were. It was ok.

My eyes felt tired and weak. I knew they were most likely a little bloodshot, but I was used to that feeling from staying up so late working. Because of work and always having to be places I had trained my body to wake up when I needed. Closing my eyes, I laid there under the stars with her soft breathing on my chest. I could allow myself only some sleep.

 _Jemmea_

I was awakened by an arm curved around me, pulling me closer. Pinching my eyes closed, I remembered where I was and what was happening, but I was too comfortable. Moving my arm to his other side, I pulled him closer. I had never felt another's body quite like this before, but I found myself loving the sensation.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," I mumbled.

All he responded with was, "It's time." Seto started to rise and I regrettably did the same.

I brushed the sand off my body and slipped my shoes on. Before I stood up, I picked up his jacket. Straightening up, I handed it to him. He took it and the fabric rippled through the air as he spun it around, slipping it on and brushing the front off. I thought to run my hands through his smooth brown hair to get any sand out. I had to lean forward and reach up since he was significantly taller than me. I found myself again faced with his sharp eyes. Bewitched, and suddenly very aware of the touch of another, I took the opportunity to kiss him one last time. This one was not as intense, it was short, gentle, and sweet.

He pulled back, and our proximity pulled me, too. "Let's go," he urged, and we headed quickly back to the castle. Still tired, I yawned, then reached out to take his arm, cuddling up to him again. He simply glanced down at me again but made nothing of it.

Once we reached the final entrance I slowed, releasing his arm. He did the same, turning back to me. Coming to a full stop at our fork, I crossed my arms and looked up at him. "You know how to get back?" I assured.

"Yes," he confirmed.

Uncrossing one arm, I reached out to touch his chest. I watched my hand until it made contact with him, then raised my eyes to him. My touch encouraged me to lean into him and he simply watched me. "I will come check in with you tomorrow night," I told him.

As I leaned closer I ran my hand up his chest, slipping just under his coat. I kissed his cheek before pulling away. "Goodnight."

He gave me no reaction as I turned and walked away, nor did I expect him to. He just stood there and watched me, thinking, until I disappeared.

 **Not sure anyone is reading this. Should I keep going or..?**

* * *

 **Playlist:** _Take You on a Cruise_ by Interpol

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Breakfast

Typically she was the earliest to rise out of her siblings, Jude being last, so it wasn't surprising when her father was the only one in the breakfast hall, though he was ready and dressed for the day.


	19. Breakfast

**It's great to hear from you! Thank you.**

 **I found I really enjoyed this chapter, hopefully you all do too.**

* * *

Jem woke up at a reasonable time the next morning despite yesterday's adventures. It sucked to realize she was actually stuck here. However, her hope in Seto allowed her to dismiss it with an unhappy huff before she rose instead of being confined by hopelessness.

She had bothered to change into pajamas to be modest here and because of this now put off getting ready for the day until after breakfast.

Jem meandered toward the dining hall. She enjoyed the early marigold sunshine that escorted her through the halls. Typically she was the earliest to rise out of her siblings, Jude being last, so it wasn't surprising when her father was the only one in the breakfast hall, though he was ready and dressed for the day.

He turned ever so slightly at the sound of the door. "You're here," he remarked.

"You say that like I had a choice." She came and plopped down in the same chair beside him as last night. Jem brought a foot up to rest on the chair as she leaned back. "Foiled again," she added with a bitter sarcasm.

She heard her father hum happily and looked at him, seeing a half smile. It was then that she realized she had picked that up from one of his cartoons. It made her pout and glare, no longer having any fun in her mockery.

Pegasus had the remnants of a classic breakfast in front of him, aside from the clearly refilled mimosa. One of the staff came to attend. "What would you like to eat, miss?"

"I'll have an omelet and orange juice," she requested, somewhat exasperated as her eyes flickered away at nothing. She was then sure to look directly back at her father as she exaggerated, "Please."

The staff person nodded and left for the kitchen.

"I meant you're down here at breakfast. Was it your brother that let you out?" he asked as though he was making casual conversation. Though in this house, it tended to be just that.

"Like anyone else would," she muttered bitterly as she dropped her foot and placed her napkin in her lap.

"Well, it seems like you've gotten your act together. I'm glad to see it. I have some things I'd like you to do."

Jemmea looked at him distastefully with this but redirected her attention to the freshly squeezed orange juice that was brought to her, briefly shaking her head unhappily before she drank.

"You don't have to come immediately. I'll give you a little time to acclimate. You can have two hours after breakfast to procrastinate, but then I'm sending someone to find you if you're not in my office by then."

"Will they yell 'ready or not, here I come'?" she replied, imitating the annoyingly buttery voice of her sister.

Pegasus smiled. "Oh Jemma, that's the spirit."

She just glanced at him unhappily as her food arrived, then she used it to ignore him.

"Now I know that doesn't sound like fun to you, so I'm going to try using incentives with you. For every hour you spend with me, you can have ten minutes in the library."

With this her eyes flashed to him, now having her full attention. Pegasus shared similar views as his son when it came to Jemmea's reading habits. Once he realized she did nothing else he saw it as an unhealthy obsession taking all the books from her room, the door to the library already visible on his cameras.

She was frozen. "Is this a trick? Did you replace everything with comic books or something?"

"Alas, no," he sighed, finally resuming his mimosa.

She was unconvinced. "Coloring books, then?"

"Oh Jemma, you are just filled with good ideas today. I think we'll be very productive," he replied, cheerily and perhaps proudly. "And no, the library is as you remember it. You know I'm a man of my word."

She hesitated. "Ok," she agreed before turning to her food. This gave her something to mull over.

Effie entered next. "Good morning, Daddy!" she proclaimed as she came around to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and kissing his cheek.

"Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?" he asked as she sat on the other side of him. Though Effie wore her nightgown, bunny slippers, and open kimono, everything else was too crafted for just rolling out of bed.

"Mmhm," she hummed happily. She then turned, finally acknowledging Jem. Her tone changed completely. "Oh, _you're_ still here."

"Did you really do your hair and makeup before coming down here and not bother to change into real clothes? You expect us to believe you just woke up like that?" Jem ridiculed.

"Are you going to be a bitch?" Effie countered, her perfect curls bouncing as she sassed her sister.

Jem smiled and replied sweetly, "Only because you asked so nicely."

Effie scoffed and Pegasus intervened. "Stop it, both of you."

Jem turned to him. "Would you like me to pretend like she doesn't exist? I could do that. Easily."

"You already do," Effie said darkly as the attendant came up to her.

"No, Jemma, I want you to be nice to your sister."

Jem shook her head as she turned back to her food. "I don't know. You're asking a lot of me today."

"Try," he enforced.

Finally Jude entered, completing the set. "Jemmie!" he cried happily, prancing up behind her chair and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He pressed his cheek to her head and proclaimed, "I'm so glad you're here. I wasn't sure if I imagined it or not." She was pretty sure that 'imagined' was sugarcoating for 'hallucinated'.

She turned her head and replied, "Jude, this makes it really hard to eat."

As he released her, Effie piped up, "Hi, Jude."

"Hey, chicka," he replied casually as he scooted around, sliding in next to his twin.

The nickname was new. Effie looked at Jemmea and smirked. In her absence, her siblings had spent more time together. It seemed Effie expected this to somehow be insulting to Jem. It wasn't.

Jem turned her eyes to her father, then her brother as he settled in resting one shin over his knee. She smirked, pointing her fork to each of them before she said, "Do the three of you play who-can-get-the-most-attention when I'm not here?"

It was meant to be an insult, and two of them would have taken it that way, but Jude broke the tension he didn't sense or just didn't mind. "There's no point, I'd win," he declared as he came out of a stretch. His white t-shirt again met his navy sweats and hid his belly as he lowered his arms and slumped in his chair.

He signaled to the house waiter. "I'll have the works and a coffee. Black." They nodded and hastily turned away. He leaned over to Jem discreetly as he muttered, "[I always want to say ' _I'll have what he's having_ ']" before straightening up casually.

"Can't any of you bother to get dressed for the day?" Pegasus complained as he looked over the three of them.

"Effie bothered to do her hair and makeup," Jem 'credited' as her brother stole some of her breakfast.

Effie narrowed her eyes at Jem unhappily.

As soon as he could, Jude retorted, "You mean girls don't just wake up looking like that?"

Jem knew he was joking, but the other two were left to wonder. Pegasus gave him the benefit of the doubt. "Don't you two get each other going," he warned, knowing his twins were a handful independently, let alone when they were together.

"Flectere si nequeo superos, acheronta movebo," Jem recited, glaring at her father.

"That's not Spanish," Jude observed, now winning the attention game. "What is that, Portuguese?"

She turned to look at her brother. "It's a good thing you're cute," she said dryly before she sighed. Jude smiled at her breakfast as he stole some more, very amused. "Jude, I love you more than anything, but sometimes you pain me. You have such a sense for sounds, I've heard you sing in other dialects perfectly. If you took any time to study a language I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard for you." She continued in their twin speak they had developed in their isolated youth. "[It means, 'if I cannot move heaven, I will raise hell']."

Jude smiled. "Love it."

"What did I tell you about talking in your secret language," Pegasus scorned. He hated when they did that. With his Millennium Eye he had known for a while what they were saying, but now he was lost. Whatever they didn't want other people to hear was concerning to him.

Jude just turned and looked at Jemmie, smiling and wanting nothing more than to raise hell with his beloved twin.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Work

All of his cheeriness faded. He looked at her unhappily. "You needn't worry yourself with Seto Kaiba," he answered sternly.


	20. Work

Jemmea hadn't taken the full two hours. This was mostly because she had a promise of pages and nothing to do.

She arrived at her father's office to find he was already working behind his desk. She noted how he worked much more relaxed, turned with his feet up on his desk as he calmly looked through papers. Seto's work strategy was much more intense.

He looked up when he heard her. "Jemma, you're here early. Good."

"It's not like I had somewhere else to be," she murmured, slowing and crossing her arms as she approached him.

"Sit," he gestured.

Much like in Seto's office, she sat in the chair across from him, though much less excited or relaxed.

"It's just about Christmas so I have time to do one of my favorite parts of the job." He set the papers down on the table. They were all pen and ink pictures. "Here are some drafts for some new cards. Choose one and add color. It will act as a base for when the final draft is crafted. The watercolor markers might be good for you to start with."

Slouched and unenthusiastic, she looked down at the display and then back up at her father. "You're the CEO of a multimillion dollar company. Out of all the things you could teach me, you're asking me to color?" she criticized. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Jemma, watch your mouth. Honestly, it's like finishing school did nothing for you-"

"It didn't."

"Today is an art direction day. This is what I've asked you to do. The minutes you spend complaining about it don't count towards your hour," he replied, already starting in on his.

She sighed unhappily then sifted through the sheets. _What are these things?_ she asked as she looked through them. "Did you come up with all of these?" she wondered.

"No, I have a team that handles a lot of this now," he shared.

"Did you run psych screenings on them first? Some of this is disturbing," she remarked.

"Just choose one, Jemma," he said, some frustration building in his voice.

She found one that was more or less a girl and started in, leaning an elbow on the desk to support her head as she began. Jem tried to follow natural lines and give it a flow, finding it oddly therapeutic. "This can't be what you do all day."

"Just on the better ones," he replied happily. "Normally I might come up with a quick palate and notes before I start painting, but I thought I'd actually fill some out with you here." Part of this made her feel anxious, thinking this was something that should have been done years ago. Was he trying to make up for it now?

In the silence, he began humming jollily to himself. She only found it annoying but did her best to ignore it. When she filled in all the white space, she handed it to her father. "Done."

He took it, clearly excited to see what she did, but as he reoriented it his face fell. "Jemma, what is this? It's the most literal thing I've ever seen. I bet if I gave you a piece of paper shaped like a zebra and told you to create art on it, you'd just draw stripes. How did you not inherit any fun genes from me?"

"Jude absorbed it all in the womb," she answered dryly.

He sighed. "Where's your imagination? Everything is a solid color. Honestly, at least add some shadows and layers. See look," he began, setting the paper down in front of her. He turned what he was working on to give an example. She put no more effort into examining it then dropping her eyes.

After a moment he took it back, continuing to work and hum.

"If I have to be here, can I at least listen to music?" she pleaded.

Pegasus sighed. "If you need a break go check on your brother. He's supposed to be working on something for me in his music room. Make him play it."

She stood and left without so much as a glance or a word.

When she reached the door she didn't knock, bringing her into a heated conversation.

"I don't know, I always kind of thought Effie was cuter," Declan, the bassist, said nonchalantly as he tuned his instrument.

The three dressed similarly, in jeans usually with some white T-shirt under a casual button up. Today Jude had just the shirt, while Declan wore one somewhat buttoned with a gold and red plaid pattern on it. He had the shortest hair of the three, his natural dark brown bleached only in the front. Sam's hair was a sandy blonde, cut somewhere between Jude's careless hair and Declan's trendy hair but mostly covered by a grey beanie today. His button up was blue, only the collar of the white shirt visible. Both had the sleeves rolled up to reveal their forearms.

Sam sat backward in a chair, waiting for his bandmates to finish setting up. "No way, man. Jemmie," he whistled, lost for words.

"Guys, I'm _really_ tired of hearing you talk about my sisters," Jude piped up, annoyed as he set up equipment.

"He's right, we should probably stop talking about his hot sisters-" jeered Declan, smirking at Sam.

"Yes, please stop talking about my hot- oh fuck you," Jude spat, noticing what Declan tricked him into saying as he heard it.

"Jude, if you weren't related, you'd know. You'd back me up on this," attested Sam.

"Know what?" he asked darkly.

"How irresistible she is. If she wasn't your sister you'd totally use your super powers on her."

Jude half smirked at this in spite of himself. Sam continued. "It's not fair, you get all the girls. You could at least throw Dec and I a bone once in a while."

Jude whirled around at this. "The fuck did you just say?" he shot. He shook his head, a bit upset as he resumed setting up. "You can't talk about girls that way, man. I treat them like people because they _are_ people, which is probably why they go for me and not you. You need to get your shit together. You talk about them like that, no wonder they don't like you."

Sam looked at Declan, who shrugged, agreeing with Jude on this one.

Going unnoticed so far, Jem had been deciding if she should just turn around or not. Now curious, she let go of the door allowing it to hit the wall. The echo claimed their attention and Sam was stunned.

As his eyes fixed on her, she said, "He has a point, you know."

He was lost in his gaze for only a moment before he stood, swinging one leg over the chair and swiftly going to her. He slowed only when he approached her.

"Ah, Jemmie- Jude was just saying you were around," he shared. "It's so great to see you-" He reached out a hand, seemingly ready to use a greeting as an excuse to touch her.

Jude noticed and harshly intervened. "McGold, any part of you that touches her I will _tear off_."

Sam quickly withdrew his hand. But Jem couldn't help herself. She smirked. "Want to do it?" she provoked, both knowing her brother was watching carefully.

This almost killed Sam. He gasped, closing his fist and momentarily biting his knuckle as he stepped back, staring at her. He removed it to reply, laying a hand on his chest with turmoil in his eyes as he leaned in again. "That's cold, Jemmie." He rocked a bit, tormented as he stared at her, clearly trying to decide if it was worth it.

She ignored him. "What super powers?" she asked.

"I don't think your brother has ever been rejected," he spewed, pivoting to gesture towards him. He held his hand out, continuing to as he spoke. "It's like he knows exactly what every girl wants to hear. And he does it without having to lie, either. They know what they're getting into with him and do it anyway!" Sam exclaimed, clearly thinking it was unfair.

"Oh," she replied flatly. "I thought you were talking about his musical talents."

"Those are crazy too!" he exclaimed. "I remember when he first started playing guitar. He could do hammer-ons and pull-offs within a year and had no idea what they were!"

"That means nothing to me," she replied unenthusiastically, looking to her brother who was again smirking in spite of himself. Moving on, she piped up, "Max sent me here to check on you. He said he asked you to prepare something and to have you play it for me."

"He sure did," Jude said, finally ready as he slung the guitar strap over his shoulder. "That's why these assholes are here. Let's go!" he directed. As the other two scattered, he began to play as he waited for them. In his loop, he would play the last few notes by tapping the string instead of hitting a new one. "When I hit the strings like that, that's what he meant," he informed her.

Recognizing the tune, as Declan stood he asked, "Are we playing Snow?" just to make sure.

"Naw dude, this is just for Jemmie," he dismissed before asking her, "Do you like it?"

She smiled just a bit and nodded. This only caused him to smile back. "So I'm playing Pops' favorite Christmas song with these guys, and Effie's just to appease her. Well, second favorite. I couldn't bring myself to sing Santa Baby. Then I'm going to do some original stuff. You sons of bitches ready? And Last Christmas, three, four-"

* * *

Pegasus simply glanced up when he heard her return. "How was it?"

"I think you'll be satisfied," she stated as she sank back into her chair. She eyed her assignment, sighing before she took it back to work on. It was silent for another hour before she again tried to turn it in.

"There," she attested, again pushing it in front of him before she sat back, crossing her arms.

Pegasus again lifted it to examine. "Oh, much better, Jemma. Good work. Now choose another one," he praised as he set it aside.

Her shoulders fell. "Can I use the time I earned so far and come back to this?" she pleaded.

"No. It will come in one chunk at the end."

She slowly leaned forward to examine her options. It was quiet as she sifted through them. Then she asked, "Who was the man from last night?" just to see his reaction.

All of his cheeriness faded. He looked at her unhappily. "You needn't worry yourself with Seto Kaiba," he answered sternly.

"So he's gone?" she pried casually, choosing the next most normal picture. It was natural for her to find a topic that irritated him and see how far she could take it, so there was no reason this should raise any red flags.

"No," Pegasus answered. "I have some business to attend to with him."

"So he's just waiting while you're sitting here coloring? How long have you been making him wait?" Jem carefully picked her questions hoping to throw him off her trail.

"Jemmea, you are to stay away from him," he warned fiercely.

"Why? Afraid someone will actually stick up for me?" she countered.

"He won't. Kaiba only has one interest and that's himself. I was going to save this lesson for another day, but you might as well know now: things have been done that have spilled bad blood. My company has many adversaries, and Seto Kaiba is by far the most dangerous one."

Jem finally glanced up to see her father glaring at her. She tested her luck. "So you say, but that seems a little extreme. I still think you don't want someone around who won't tolerate the way you treat me."

"You really think he gives a damn about you or your well-being?" Pegasus returned. He sat back for a moment. "Fine," he decided. "He'll be our guest at dinner tonight and you can see first hand how cold-hearted he is. Be ready at 6:30."

 **How are we liking this so far?**

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Dinner

"Effie, dearest," Pegasus began, "This is Seto Kaiba. He's a business partner, CEO of the Kaiba Corporation. Kaiba-boy," he continued, turning to him as his tone became tinted with a darkness, "I suppose I don't have to introduce my children, as you already seem to know who they are."


	21. Dinner

**Princess Aaliyah: revamping the series, yes. But the stories aren't as different as this one, just embellished, so I'll be updating/replacing chapters in chunks.**

* * *

When Jem entered the dining hall everyone else was already there. She slowed for a moment, seeing the seating arrangement was slightly altered. Her brother was immediately to Pegasus' left, his youngest daughter pouting as she sat a seat away from her father. Jem was then faced with the decision of whether she wanted to sit next to or across from her sister. Part of her wanted to sit at the far end of the table with lots of space between her and her family, but she knew she would only be scolded and required to move. It turned out she didn't actually have a choice, as her father had decided for her.

"Jemma, by my side," he directed.

Until now she had been sitting across from her sister and perhaps looking at each other only caused them to bicker more.

Effie sighed loudly as Jem took her seat. Jem ignored her as she rashly unfolded her napkin and placed it in her lap. Effie sighed again.

"Are you having some sort of problem?" Jem asked, it seeming as though the new layout wouldn't help.

"No," Effie snapped.

Jem looked to Jude, who added, "This is my life."

"Quiet, both of you," Pegasus commanded, speaking to the twins. "Effie, I'm having you sit there because we're having a guest tonight. I wanted you across from him because you'll be the most pleasant." She perked up at this, smirking as she too put her napkin in her lap. Pegasus turned to his other daughter, his demeanor completely changing. "And you are sitting the furthest because you will be the _least_ pleasant."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jem said dryly, picking up her water for a sip.

"And hopefully," he said a bit more forcefully, "sitting next to me will cut down on your snide comments."

"I'll be neither pleasant nor unpleasant," Jude volunteered. "Just to really round it out."

Pegasus just turned his eyes to him and sighed, but before he could say anything, Jemmie set her water down and declared, "You mean you'll be quiet because you've been singing all day and want to save what's left of your voice for tomorrow? And you're starving?"

He smiled. "You know me too well, J."

"If you're actually able to stay quiet, it will be a Christmas miracle!" she teased a bit dramatically, as she would occasionally act in these situations when she was slightly annoyed.

"[If E can manage to keep it in her pants through tomorrow, it will be a Christmas miracle]," he countered.

Pegasus sharply turned to him. " _What did I tell you about your secret language_?" he scolded just as Jem began to laugh.

Jude didn't really pay him any attention, more caught up in the attention he was getting from his sister. He smirked as he continued to watch her laugh. "You think that's way too funny," he jeered.

Jem took a sip of her water to try to calm herself. "I could say the same thing about you."

" _No,_ " he returned, smiling in good humor and leaning forward to declare, "it would be a Christmas tragedy."

Pegasus was about ready to declare some sort of punishment, though he couldn't come up with one right away. He was slightly distracted by his daughter's smile and laughter, which he hadn't heard or seen in years.

Effie looked at her father, pouting and expecting something. "You know they're talking about me, Daddy," she whined, trying to instigate a punishment.

"You're so self-center," the elder sister quipped.

Before it could progress any further, the far doors opened and Seto Kaiba entered, escorted by Kemo.

The family turned their attention towards him, each with a separate reaction. Jude was disinterested while his twin tried to seem the same. Pegasus switched gears to his facade and Effie perked up. She was tired of being harassed by her siblings, and in her experience boys tended to be a lot kinder to her.

"Well this is unexpected," Kaiba said coldly, slowly approaching with his eyes fixed on Pegasus. "When I said I wanted to speak with you, I meant alone."

"Oh, Kaiba-boy, how nice of you to join us. Please, have a seat. You're our guest, after all," Pegasus said pompously. "We'll chat after we eat."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes, annoyed with his theatrics. He apprehensively took the seat next to Jude, who seemed unfazed by the whole thing. Kemo stood ready at the wall behind Kaiba.

Jem looked over to see her sister making lovey eyes at Seto. She knew perfectly well what that meant. _Here we go again..._

"Hi, I'm Effie." He did not answer her, glaring at Pegasus and trying his best to not glance at Jem. "What's your name?"

Jem answered first. "Oh my god Effie, he _just_ said it."

" _Profanity_ , Jemma," Pegasus corrected.

"My apologies," Jem replied sarcastically. "Oh my heavens-"

Jude saw this as a fun game. "OH my stars!-"

Jem smiled. "Oh my _word!_ -"

"Oh my _goodness gracious!_ " The twins' voices rang back and forth, filled with drama and sarcasm.

"Oh my _ears_ and _whiskers_ , Effie. He _just_ fucking said it," Jem finished.

"Jemmea," Pegasus scolded quietly between clenched teeth.

Effie was too confused to acknowledge their mockery. "Your name is Pegasus, too? Are we related?" she asked Kaiba. She looked concerned, perhaps suddenly regretting her intentions of flirting.

Jude just laughed, loud and before he could stop himself.

"Wow. No. Him as in Max," Jem retorted. Effie's stupidity just irritated her and she did not find it funny as her brother did.

The meals were laid before them, including the still somewhat flustered Kaiba.

"Effie, dearest," Pegasus began, "This is Seto Kaiba. He's a business partner, CEO of the Kaiba Corporation. Kaiba-boy," he continued, turning to him as his tone became tinted with a darkness, "I suppose I don't have to introduce my children, as you already seem to know who they are."

Jude quickly yet subtly looked at his sister. On her way to her reward, she had stopped by to warn him about dinner. More importantly, she stopped to remind him that neither of them were supposed to know Kaiba and to act like it. For a minute he thought perhaps she had been found out, but she quickly shook her head, only briefly and discreet enough that only he noticed. He looked away, taking the cue to continue with the original plan, which was a large part of why he wouldn't be saying much.

Meanwhile, Effie continued her pursuit. "Oh! Kaiba-boy. Well, my father has pet names for everyone. He calls them Jemma and Juda, but he calls me Effie-dearest because I'm his princess," she turned and smiled at her father, who smiled back warmly at the affection from his child, this momentarily distracting him. Effie turned back to Kaiba, adding disdainfully, "Jemmea hates the term, can you believe it?"

"It just had such a connotation," she went off, her eyes still on her food. "So dainty and privileged. Queen isn't bad, nor is duchess, empress is really the best, if one had to be something-"

"Or countess if you wanted to get all spooky," Jude chimed.

Jem let her hands fall to either side of her plate, looking up at him, distressed. "No- well, yes- they're essentially the same thing. Duchess is English while countess is from other parts of Europe, but was made into this spooky thing because of Bram Stoker's Dracula, for one-"

Extremely irritated, her sister turned to her and snapped, "Could you not go on one of your boring rants for once? Nobody cares. Thanks." She turned her attention back to Kaiba, her tone again flirtatious. "Anyway, what do you like to be called?"

Kaiba said nothing.

"So Kaiba-boy!" started Pegasus. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in soo long!"

"Cut the small talk, Pegasus. When-" Kaiba snapped before Pegasus interrupted him.

"Oh Kaiba-boy! It's always business with you. Eat! Relax!"

Effie was intrigued by Kaiba opening his mouth. This only made her more annoying, so Jem did her best to ignore it, as did Seto. This, however, took a little more force. He withdrew into his thoughts, becoming less aware of everything around him in turn. This caused him to momentarily forget to fixate on Pegasus, and naturally his eyes turned to the blonde. Kaiba watched as she ignored her sister, focusing on her food. His eyes stayed transfixed as he watched her toss some of her silky hair over her shoulder, then went about picking at her vegetables before moving on. Consciously, she would try to be a little rude around her father, but subconsciously she was the opposite. Kaiba watched as her fork slid through her teeth before she politely closed her mouth to chew, her focus switching between nothing and her food. It was, however, claimed for a moment when Pegasus set his glass down a bit more forcefully than was needed.

This also got Jude and Kaiba's attention, though the twins disregarded it. Kaiba, however, saw Pegasus fixed on him. He had seen him staring at Jem, and now stared him down to prevent it. Pegasus sat, his eyes narrowed as he gently swirled his wine over the table. Seeing his anger, the corners of Kaiba's mouth turned up the slightest bit, just enough to piss Pegasus off more. The two stared each other down for a moment before Pegasus said, "Jemma, are you done?"

This shut Effie up, the children glancing over at him. She was a bit surprised. As she finished chewing she followed her father's gaze. Turning back to him, she spoke without reservation. "Oh! Is the staring supposed to have taught me my lesson? Because if the staring is supposed to do it, then you're only proving that you're cold-hea-"

"Finish your meal," he said firmly, finally breaking to look at her. She raised her eyebrows as she turned back to focus on her food, ready to be away from all of this. "All of you." He turned to continue monitoring Kaiba, though he addressed her. "And Jemma, I want another session with you tomorrow. Be in my office by 9am. Kemo-"

Jem sighed before he responded, "Yes, Master Pegasus?"

"Be sure to tell the other men that I mean my _home_ office _here_ in the castle. Don't try to avoid this and pull that little San Francisco stunt again," he finished unhappily

"That was a good one, wasn't it?" she snickered as she finished.

"I enjoyed it," attested Jude, smiling at her as he still leaned over the table, done as well. "So what are you up to?" he provoked, implying that he wanted her and she knew it.

Jem tilted her head and declared, "I'm all yours."

The two started to push their chairs back and Pegasus demanded, "What are you two going to do?"

They settled for a moment and Jem leaned forward, pretending to think about it. "You know, I think we'll stay in the castle," she suggested as though it were a real answer or they had any choice.

Her twin naturally went along with it, nodding seriously. "Yes, I think that's a great idea."

"Well then it's a plan," she declared, and the two stood up.

Pegasus huffed but let it go knowing he had little control over what they did, but was comforted knowing that they were restricted to the castle.

With the daughter Kaiba showed interest in gone, Pegasus broke the gaze to ask his youngest, "Are you done, dearest? I have some business to attend to with our guest."

Effie compliantly nodded, only taking a last look at Kaiba as she finished her water. Quietly, she stood up, lovingly placing a hand on her father's shoulder as she passed.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Mischief

"My Jemma is way out of your league. Besides, she hates people. She'd never bother with _you_."


	22. Mischief

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* * *

 _Jemmea_

"So what do you want to do?" I asked once we left the dining room.

He put his hands together and raised them over his head, stretching as he thought. "Um-" He had a thought as he came out of his stretch. "Want to go throw things off the roof?"

"Of course," I replied, and we headed up the stairs.

As we threw things off we chatted.

"So when are you leaving?" Jude asked. I looked at him, surprised. He glanced over to see my shock, and before I could answer, he said, "I stopped by your room last night to talk to you some more. When you weren't there I went out to your balcony to see if I could spot you at your favorite beach. I barely could, but I noticed you weren't alone. You were trying to make a deal with him to get out of here, weren't you? Did you succeed?"

"Jude…" I began, turning out to look over the scene. Then I realized how I would tell him. "You know how you don't love when I read, how you would rather me go out and make my own stories? Jude, Max keeps me on too short of a leash. There's no story for me here."

Jude heard this and looked down. After a moment he nodded, realizing it was true, but it obviously wasn't the reality he was hoping for. "Ok," he huffed, looking back up. He nodded again, a bit more genuinely as he came to terms with it. "Ok."

He threw his next stone off the roof with just a little more harshly than he needed to. "…Are you going to tell?" I asked quietly.

Jude couldn't look at me yet, still disappointed, but immediately shook his head. "No, Jemmie. I'd never turn you in." Finally, he looked at me, always finding the fastest route to moving on. "That guy seems like an asshole. How'd you do it? Did you bat those big eyes of yours? I bet guys are suckers for them."

"There was no eye-batting involved," I disclosed, turning back out.

I couldn't tell him what happened on the beach. I couldn't tell him how I had told Seto things I had never told him. How I had finally found comfort in Seto's arms. How I allowed him close enough to wipe away my tears. I knew Jude wanted to be that for me. I wanted to keep Jude in a safe place, especially knowing that he may do something irrational if he ever found out things that had happened to me. Nonetheless, I felt like a horrible twin and tossed my next piece off the roof just a little more forcefully.

I could be honest with this next bit, though. "I'm not really sure when I leave. I have to check in with him again tonight."

Jude raised his eyebrows, tossing his last piece off. Empty-handed, he reached into his pocket, extracting a pack and a lighter. I remembered the need when I felt anxious. I didn't stop him.

He pulled one out, holding it in his mouth. As he returned the pack, he thought. Once he lit up he asked protectively, "What's he want in return?"

"Nothing you're probably thinking of," I told him, then answered, "he hasn't asked for anything."

"Just be careful. I don't always trust guys, but I'm not going to tell you what to do," he warned.

"It'll be ok," I assured but made a mental note to see if there was anything that I could perhaps give in return. Looking over at him lovingly, I asked, "Can we go to your room? I wouldn't mind hearing you play a little more before I left."

He nodded, content with this. "Yes, but let's just chill in my bedroom, not my music room."

I agreed and he dropped his cigarette, smothering it with his foot.

Once we reached his room, he climbed on his bed, leaning on the headboard as he pulled his guitar into his lap. I stayed behind to close the door, then went, directly next to him. He was already taking a moment to tune by ear as I drew my feet beside me and leaned on him, resting my head on his shoulder. He still occupied himself with his guitar, but for a moment rested his head on my mine.

"I'm going to miss you, Jemmie," he told me softly.

"I'll miss you, too. Always."

* * *

¸,ø¤°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸,ø¤°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸

* * *

As the door closed behind his youngest, Pegasus returned to his dark theatrics. "Not hungry, Kaiba-boy? It's rude to refuse one's hospitality." He lowered his voice. "It's even ruder to come into my home and stare at my lovely daughter. Right in front of me no less." He took a sip of his wine, eying him menacingly. Setting it down, he sighed. "I suppose you would notice her, what with your obsession with pale coloring and blue eyes-" Kaiba only smirked at this, not arguing yet hinting that he did find her enjoyable just to fluster his host. "-and to always want what you can't have," he emphasized unhappily. "Don't think I'll tell you a thing about the God Cards tonight after that."

"You sound worried," Seto taunted spitefully, upset with this. If he wasn't going to tell him tonight, Kaiba meant to make him pay.

"Not at all," Pegasus seemed to sing. "My Jemma is way out of your league. Besides, she hates people. She'd never bother with _you_."

"You realize you just said smart, talented, rich and successful men aren't comparable to your daughter," he returned.

"Hm," Pegasus mused, grinning. "Is that what you think of yourself? Honestly, Kaiba-boy, if I hadn't created Duel Monsters you'd be nothing and she'd still be here. You think you're so fancy with your gadgets and toys? Think she's just another thing to be flaunted? You illustrate new money so well it's sickening. Perhaps if you were _champion_ …" he mocked, knowing that was Kaiba's biggest sore spot and all he needed to say. He raised his glass to drink in his perceived victory.

Kaiba glared at him hatefully, though part of him was gloating internally. He was doing everything in his power to not tell Pegasus off and disclose the details of last night. "Is that all?" he asked darkly.

"No," answered Pegasus, switching back to his cheerfulness. "I'm having a holiday party tomorrow. I want you there to keep up appearances—good PR, you know? I needed something to get you here as if you would have just come for that. But I did mean what I said on the phone."

"You couldn't have waited to call?" Kaiba sneered.

"You couldn't have waited to come?" Pegasus countered. "I was trying to give you a heads up. It's common courtesy for an invitation, though perhaps you know nothing about that. Really, Kaiba, I did everything else to turn you away. Then you had to go and threaten my children-"

"All I did was state their names," he interrupted. "Though based on your demented mind and what you did to me and my brother, I can see how just knowing they exist could be perceived as a threat to you. Especially someone who you've given every reason to want revenge." Pegasus narrowed his eyes. Kaiba only fed off of it as the dark memories returned. "I suppose you have given me plenty of ideas. Afraid I'll take your 'blue eyes' and use it against you? Use her to humiliate you? Or," Kaiba paused, smirking, "does Industrial Illusions have the same family inheritance policy that my company does? That is a very 'old money' thing to do," Kaiba went on, truly loathing this man. "She can't like you that much after what I've seen, and you've really gone out of your way to make me your biggest enemy. What phase were you hoping she would come out of again? The phase where she insisted on leaving and rebelling against you? With all you've done getting her to favor me would be too easy. If something isn't a challenge it's just a waste of my time."

"Why you-" Pegasus growled, seething.

Kaiba was getting too much enjoyment out of Pegasus' reaction. He hated him for everything he put him through. Everything he had put Mokuba through. Everything he had put- he stopped himself, not willing to admit he cared yet.

"What was your recommended way of doing it again? Kidnapping and locking away in a dungeon, starved and neglected, despite having numerous nice rooms to lock him away instead? No, that's what would upset me, someone so worried about his little brother. But this is your _daughter._ " Kaiba watched Pegasus seethe, clenching his fists. "So which would trouble _you_ more? Locked away in a dungeon, or kept in a nice bedroom? Unfortunately, I wouldn't have a choice. I didn't build any dungeons with my 'new money', but I have plenty of nice rooms. And since I 'would be nothing without you' I think it's only appropriate to keep her in the nicest one of all. I mean, I'm not giving anything up for her, but she'll still be comfortable. The master bedroom is big enough for two…"

"Stop," Pegasus fumed. Pegasus slowly stood to intimidate him. "You are to stay away from my children. Especially Jemmea, don't you dare try anything with her."

"And yet you wouldn't be so worried you didn't think I was capable," Kaiba replied. "And there is nothing alluring about her." He allowed his intent to fade and cued his default frown, knowing this wasn't something he would typically be interested in. "But, as fun as that was, it's not why I'm here. I'm here for the information you promised me. All that matters is reclaiming my crown that you and Yugi robbed me of. I'm expecting answers tomorrow. _Don't_ disappoint me, and don't waste any more of my time." With that Kaiba got up, turning to retire to his room. Pegasus watched him unhappily, finishing the rest of his wine in one gulp.

"Kemo," he requested disdainfully, holding out his glass as he watched Kaiba slip away the way he came.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Vengeful

Malice was a driving force that was much more comfortable and familiar to Kaiba. Pegasus had humiliated him and hurt Mokuba. He wanted that revenge.


	23. Vengeful

When Kaiba got back, he first checked the screen, going to stand and cross his arms. Mokuba looked anxious and fearful. He had been this way since Kaiba told him where they were going.

Though it hadn't been that long, Seto had purposefully pushed the memories of Duelist Kingdom out of his mind. They were too painful or humiliating for him to face. But with them freshly resurfaced and seeing Mokuba like this, he was starting to wonder if this was worth it. It didn't matter, he wasn't going to leave now.

He stood there brooding for a while. After Mokuba fell asleep he heard a gentle tap on the glass. He turned, seeing she was back. So far he had found her tempting. It was new and distracting and he resented it. He had no reason to want her, at least no good reason beyond hormones and lack of self-control, and was too proud to act on these. However, after speaking with Pegasus, he had a new kind of fuel. Malice was a driving force that was much more comfortable and familiar to Kaiba. Pegasus had humiliated him and hurt Mokuba. He wanted that revenge. Also, leaving her alone was exactly what Pegasus wanted, and Kaiba couldn't bring himself to do anything Pegasus's way.

He went to her, grabbing the top of the window and driving it open. He left his hand there, leaning on the window. She began to climb through and this time he immediately offered her his other hand, not giving her the option to teeter this time.

Jem glanced at it, surprised, before accepting it. It seemed rude not to.

Once she hopped through she turned to him and took his one hand in both of hers, looking up at him with bright eyes as she held it close to her chest. "So you spoke with him, is it time?" she asked. He noticed how she tried to hide the excitement in her voice, but clearly failed.

"No," he replied, noting how his raised arm and height made her especially vulnerable to him. "He's going to talk to me tomorrow after the party. Be ready."

"Was that all?" she asked, surprised.

"He also told me to stay away from you."

She hesitated, her lips parting, and tilted her head. "He told me the same thing about you today." Jem dropped her eyes as he stared at her, then let them flash back up. "He also told me that you were his most dangerous adversary," she said cautiously. "Why would he say that?"

He looked down at her with hard eyes, gripping her hands in return to keep her there. He pulled her just the tiniest bit closer. "Because I'm his most dangerous adversary," he affirmed, his voice clouded with darkness and pride.

Jemmea lost her breath for a second. He was perfectly poised, ready to control any move she made. His hand still clasped the window and now, more importantly, her. She eyed it out of her peripheral. She was very aware that if she tried to flee without his consent, she wouldn't be able to leave. That was how she thought here, but she didn't want to leave him. She just stared up at him, her heart pulling her closer to him.

He was very aware of her reaction, how she leaned in a little closer while simultaneous growing a little weaker. It was only confirmed when she whispered, "I don't think that's supposed to make me like you more."

Kaiba sensed a growing power over her with this. He enjoyed it but decided to test it. Kaiba released his hand, reaching up to her cheek. She simply stared up at him as her hands slowly fell, her lips parting.

Seto returned her slight lean, coming ever so slightly closer. He gently caught some of her silky blonde strands, pushing them back behind her ear. In the same motion, he ran his closed hand along her jaw, finally catching her chin and tilting her head back. She let out a short breath, her body seeming to no longer remember to do it on its own, and closed her eyes.

It was possible she was overwhelmed. Either way, she was submitting to him. He studied her in this state, completely vulnerable to him. Kaiba raised his thumb, grazing it along her lips. He ever so slightly pulled her lower lip down. She had no objections. If he leaned down to kiss her now she would give into it. Kaiba saw that he had her in the palm of his hand.

He half smirked, releasing her lip. Seto especially enjoyed it because it didn't seem like it was about getting back at her father. He was sure that didn't hurt, but he had watched her for a long time now. She seemed especially vulnerable and susceptible to him and him alone. "Hm," he mused happily.

This jerked her, opening her eyes, but he had already dropped his hand and she saw him turning away.

She was rattled and unsure, but he was calm.

As he reached the couch he turned back to look at her. "Are you coming?"

She had remained frozen, unsure what to do, but followed quickly at this. As soon as she moved he sat, settling in. As he made himself comfortable she came around. She sat next to him on the couch, though she was tense, sitting upright and at the edge of the seat. He watched, one leg crossed as he laid his arm along the backrest, allowing his knuckles to support his head.

Jem noticed a water pitcher on the coffee table. She poured herself a glass and drank, seeming to try to cool down. As it left her lips she caught her breath, curling her arm around the glass to rest on her shoulder. She took a deep breath and exhaled, then turned to Kaiba.

She had a bag slung across her, which she then hoisted over her head and laid on the table. "I noticed you didn't eat. I can't blame you, but if you wanted to eat perhaps you trust me enough to be able to do so. I'm kind of relying on you. I don't know what you like so there are a few things in there. Don't take the apple to mean anything. I know it can be misleading with the castle but I promise you we're not in a fairytale."

"What else did he say?" he asked, ignoring everything she said.

"He said…" she began, glancing away as she tried to remember his exact words, "'things have been done that spilled bad blood'. Seto…" she asked hesitantly, "what did he do to you?"

Kaiba looked at her a moment. "Pegasus tried to take over my company by kidnapping my brother." Her mouth opened a little at the surprise of this. Kaiba could have stopped there, but he wanted her to understand the full extent of his hatred. "His plan was to get rid of me, leaving the company to Mokuba. When I came here to save him, I found Mokuba chained in the dungeon below. Then he did something to him to make him catatonic."

She just stared at him in awe. "Why would you come back here after that?" she uttered.

"Because he has information I want," he answered.

She looked away for a moment, thinking. This was perhaps her opportunity to give something back to him.

"Maybe I can help. What kind of information?"

"Do you know anything about the Egyptian God Cards?" he asked. He didn't think she would, but the anticipation that she might briefly overwhelmed him.

"No, but as you heard I'm working with him tomorrow. Perhaps I can get something out of him. What do you want to know specifically?"

"Anything about them, but particularly any capabilities or weaknesses of the two dragons." He listened to her repeat it, then asked, "Did he say anything else today?"

"Nothing more about you," she answered, looking away as she thought. "Nothing else meaningful. Nothing else I want to talk about…" She took another drink of water, though more calmly this time, before turning her attention back to him. "How about you?"

"The same," he replied.

She just looked at him for a moment, seeming to consider something, and he waited. Jem then set her glass down. Placing her palms on the cushion, she used it to help her slide back, finding her way into the alcove he had carved. Kaiba enjoyed this, still seemingly at his mercy, but did nothing beyond fix his eyes on her.

Jem pivoted a little to look up at him, tucking her hands under her thighs. This caused her to lean forward a bit again.

She usually looked at his eyes, but now dropped them, noticing his necklace. "A card?" she asked.

Kaiba reached up, grasping the necklace. She lifted her eyes back to his, unsure if she had touched a nerve, but then she noticed some movement. Her eyes fell to see him open the case, holding it for her to see. It was not what she was expecting. She lifted her hands and he allowed her to gently take it from him to examine. Her reactions interested him.

Recognizing the picture immediately, she twisted, looking at the screen. Kaiba turned his eyes as well, though only briefly. She froze for a minute, studying Mokuba as he slept, and Kaiba took it as an opportunity to study her.

Today she wore an open sleeveless button up tucked into a pair of tiny high-waisted shorts. Her outfit displayed the most of her pure white skin he had seen yet and was tailored to her body, making her silhouette that much more enticing to him.

As she turned back to the picture he raised his eyes. "Your brother looks so sweet," she remarked.

"He is."

She looked from the photo up to him, asking, "Does he have one of you tiny and adorable as well?"

"That's not how I would describe it," Kaiba grumbled, not wanting to be described as such. He also refused to acknowledge how he felt those words described her well as she said it.

Jem closed the case, gently returning it, but she left her hands on his chest. "You never answered me yesterday."

Kaiba searched his memory, showing nothing externally, but was unsure what she was referring to. Slowly, she began to slide her hands up his chest, distracting him. As they crept it caused her to slowly lean closer. She watched him for a reaction.

She was his first physical contact in a long time, but it was different from any he had before. Her hands felt nice, and he enjoyed it as she slowly pressed herself against him. "You're quite rude," she began. "It's one of the things I like about you. Being rude to me then would have been easy. It only really leaves one reason I can think of that you haven't stopped me."

She was very close now. He realized what question she was referring to now but still gave her no reaction. "Do you want me to stop you?" he pressured.

"How would you do that?" she breathed.

He didn't answer, he simply looked at her and she back at him. As she hovered, Jem slowly started to become self-aware. She shook her head, a little embarrassed, then began to pull away. As soon as Kaiba felt this he grabbed her wrists, returning them to his chest. Once he set them there he didn't stop. He hooked his arm under her knees, pulling her closer and placing them in his lap, and then rested his hand on the small of her back, keeping her there. There was no way Kaiba was going to let her maintain control of the situation. The more vulnerable to him, the better.

Jem was shocked, but she didn't fight him. As he studied her, he couldn't help but wonder why she allowed this. "After what I saw last night, why don't you protest with me? You don't even flinch."

She considered this for a moment. "Because you've done nothing to show that you mean me harm, and it doesn't hurt when you do it," she replied.

Kaiba was unable to control his emotions with this as much as he would like. It reminded him that she wasn't just a weapon, she was a girl he was interested in… saving. Something pleasant in his world of demands. Everything else he liked was competition, humiliation, and power. Though he enjoyed having some degree of power over her, what he found pleasant was simple. He liked her touch. He liked her smile. There was nothing more to it than that. There was no demand or additional steps to be taken. There was no game. Though he liked all of those other things, being purely with this girl was refreshing.

"I don't know," she continued, dropping her eyes to her hands, unable to look him in the eyes with her confessions. "I felt safe with you the first time I saw you. You had no interest in me and that was safe. Then with the guard at your company…" she shrugged. "You've done nothing to dissuade me from feeling that way. On top of that, I sense you like to have control over situations. It doesn't have anything to do with me. What he does has everything to do with me. So long as I feel safe with you, it's kind of nice to not have to fight. I've done nothing but fight my whole life."

Jem completely gave in, leaning forward to tuck herself into him, her head resting on his shoulder. Kaiba didn't know what to do with this. He frantically thought about it for a minute before he felt her laugh. She sat up. "I should go," she declared. She started to pull away, but Kaiba hadn't moved his hand and didn't allow it.

"Why?"

"Because we're leaving tomorrow," she answered with bright eyes. "And though it's more likely than not that he won't discover us, if he did I'll never see the light of day again."

Kaiba couldn't tell if she was exaggerating. He had known her to be quite literal.

He allowed it, however, lowering his hand to let her escape. Before she got up she leaned back toward him, kissing his cheek. After that, she simply left and he watched. When she was out the window she turned back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Overtime

He sighed, exasperated. "Honestly, Jemma, you're such an odd child," he uttered.

Seeing there was no way out, she sat back in the chair and began to read.


	24. Overtime

Jemmea was on time the next day but she wasn't happy about it. As she settled in the chair again, she crossed her arms and glared at him.

"I'm still concerned with Jude's schoolwork," she disclosed.

Pegasus occupied himself with his papers. "Honestly, Jemmea, part of the reason he's probably doing so poorly is because I don't make him go anymore."

Her eyes grew bigger. " _What_?"

Pegasus huffed. "I take the two of them with me when I go to San Francisco, but I don't do that much anymore. I've become a bit of a lazy figurehead, working from home more as I've retired from dueling."

"You don't play the game you created anymore?" she reiterated.

"I'm afraid I don't see much point," he returned. "And in terms of your brother, I'm not deaf. I let him focus on his music and share it with people when he has the opportunity. I buy him every instrument he can list and then some. I know that's where his talents are, he just needs the time to develop them. School would only get in his way." Jem noticed she was gaping at him and closed her mouth. "And I have tutors for your sister." He had a thought and looked up at her. "If you're so eager to study, you can join her when they pick up next week. I'd love it if you reached a point where you would help her with it."

She just looked over at him unhappily, and somewhat disgusted, before she asked suspiciously, "What's your end game here?"

"What do you mean?"

"With me. I'm _asking_ you for permission to read and do schoolwork, and you're dissuading me from it. So what? What do you have planned for me?" she inquired.

"Honestly, Jemmea, I just want you to grow up to be a decent human being. You scare me sometimes. Well, a lot more often now that you insist on running away from me. I need you to be able to handle yourself and situations that are unfavorable to you better. And I think you're too smart for school. We can work something out with studying where you can designate some of your time to independent study, but you have to obey cutoff times. I just think you're ready for more real-world skills, and learning those are more important to me anyway."

She appreciated the independent study part, understanding why he wanted the cutoff. But she couldn't trust him, and he had just blatantly told her that he was planning on making her do things she didn't want to do. She felt she had been just fine in Domino and her plans remained unaltered.

She sighed. "So what new torture did you devise for today?"

"Don't be so dismal, Jemma," he told her off. "I have reading."

She lit up and went on guard at the same time. "What is it?"

"If you're going to be working with me," Pegasus slid a binder across his desk, "it's time you familiarize yourself with the rules."

Sitting up to better see the cover, she read _Duel Monsters Handbook_. Reaching out, she opened up to the back. "…Why is this over 50 pages?" she grieved.

"Come now, Jemma," he retorted. "You wanted something to read and now you're complaining that it's too long? What, would you rather I gave you reading on the lifecycle of moths?"

Her eyes flashed up, interested. "Do you have that?"

He sighed, exasperated. "Honestly, Jemma, you're such an odd child," he uttered.

Seeing there was no way out, she sat back in the chair and began to read.

After some time, she set the binder back on the desk and piped up, "Ok, I read it. It didn't explain where all of those demented ideas for cards come from, though." She desperately hoped this would give her the lead she needed.

"They're not demented, Jemma. In fact, some are based on things you like."

"Like what?"

Pegasus looked up at her, a bit surprised but very intrigued. "Jemma, are you trying to learn?"

"I _love_ learning," she began, annoyed. "And this is all you're fucking giving me. I'm desperate. So go ahead, tell me something that would make me see some value in this."

"My, my, Jemma. Look at you," he said proudly, recognizing she was trying and an irritated tone was all his teenage daughter could manage. "I based some off of your favorite gods. You know that makes me Zeus, by the way." Hearing the tales as children, Jude had always identified with Apollo, the musical sun twin, making her the goddess of the hunt. "There are cards named after Minerva, and Artemis-"

Unable to stop herself, she uttered, "Well I see consistency isn't important to you." She shook her head, knowing she had a task. "So just Roman and Greek gods, then?"

"No. There are gods and mythology from other parts of the world. For example, the strongest cards in the game are Egyptian Gods."

 _Jackpot_. "Oh, of course, your favorite," she said disdainfully. He had never been the same since that trip to Egypt. She sighed to control herself, then asked, "So like, Ra and Osiris and Bast-"

"Not quite that literal. One is named after Ra, though. The Winged Dragon of Ra, which is the most powerful of the three," he informed.

"Well, what makes them so great?" she pressed.

"Most monsters have some sort of effect or special ability, as I'm sure you've read about. The God cards have more than one. For example, Slifer the Sky Dragon's power is the number of cards in the player's hand times a thousand. It also automatically attacks any new monsters that arise on its opponents side of the field. Then there are special things about them. You've read about magic and trap cards by now. Sometimes the special thing they do can only affect one card, which the player has to declare, known as targeting. Non-targeting cards affect multiple monsters. A special effect of the God Cards is that non-targeting cards can't affect them. Magic and trap cards are practically useless against them, and when they do work the effects only last for one turn. A good player would recognize that their greatest strengths are also their greatest weaknesses. Jemma? Are you following?"

Jemmea just stared at him blankly. After a minute she asked dully, "Why did you have to make something so convoluted and complicated?" She huffed, sitting back and placing her fingers on her temples. "Now my head hurts."

"Well, let's not let that happen," he decided, putting his work aside. "Make yourself comfortable, Jemma. We're going to watch a Christmas favorite! I think you'll like the music. After that, you'll need to go get ready."

She wasn't thrilled, but ready to be done with this. That seemed like enough information, and really all she could handle right now. She turned to the large monitor as he switched it on.

"Of course it's a cartoon…" she grumbled. Though she did have to admit, the jazzy piano was rather relaxed and not terrible. As she settled in, she worked on repeating what her father said, ingraining it into her head for later.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Girly vs Feminine

I needed someone who understood how this girly shit worked and would be a little violent with me…

 _Goddammit_. My arms fell and I tilted my head back. This was a purposeful puzzle given to me by my father and I did _not_ care for the solution.


	25. Girly vs Feminine

✲´*。.❄¨¯`*✲。❄。*。¨¯`*✲

* * *

 _Jemmea_

Today was the day. Once I tolerated the party I would be out of here. There was a knock at my door accompanied by a "Miss Pegasus."

I stood up and opened the door. Croquet stood there with a gown.

"I am not sure that will be flattering on you, but you should try it on anyway," I said sarcastically.

He came in and hung it on a hook. It was silver with a sweetheart neckline and lace covered corset. The long skirt was made of light fabric and continued lace with a slit that ran up the front.

"Your father requests that you wear this tonight, and when I say 'request'," he turned to me, "I mean you _will_ wear it." It was lovely, but not what I would have chosen. It would not make for the ideal escape dress; but, I would have to make it work.

"I'll leave you to it," he grumbled before he left.

I shook my head as I stared at the thing. "Well," I conceded, "might as well do it now." I started to detangle the dress from its hook but, once I turned it around, I noticed that it had a corset that needed to be laced up. Doing a brief investigation, I found that it was the mechanic to hold me in it and not a simple decoration. I stopped, staring at it as I began to play out the physics out in my head.

Lacing myself into this would be near impossible. Even if I could pull the strings correctly without being caught in their web, I doubted I could get them tight enough to hold the dress up like I'd need. I could get Jude to help, but even though he was strong enough he would probably be too cautious to do it tight enough. I needed someone who understood how this girly shit worked and would be a little violent with me…

 _Goddammit_. My arms fell and I tilted my head back. This was a purposeful puzzle given to me by my father and I did _not_ care for the solution. "Fuck!" I cried before I hung the dress back up and left the room.

When I reached her door I just stared unhappily at it for a moment. Finally, I uncrossed my arms and knocked. I immediately heard her chihuahua start to yap. "Cinnamon, stop," I heard her scold through the door. "Come in!" I heard her call cheerfully. She had no reason to think it would be me and I doubted she would have sounded so merry if she knew.

I opened the door to find her turning back around from scolding her dog, who now lay distressed in its decadent bed in the corner. Thankfully it remained quiet after a couple growls. I hadn't been to her room in a long time. She had redecorated and accumulated quite a bit since I was last here.

Max liked his little girls, but recognized the difference between us. I was feminine and Effie was very girly, which sounded similar but looking at us was distinctly divergent. This difference reflected in our rooms. My room consisted of lace and clean lines. It was lavender, white, and grey with vintage overtones, not trendy like hers. Everything in her room was white or pink with accents of turquoise or black. There were lots of furs and ruffles about, including her sheets and curtains. Her pillows were monogrammed and she had lots of her things on display with plenty of mirrors around. The one over her wide dresser had lots of jewelry hanging off and around it. She now sat at her vanity, which was overflowing with carefully organized makeup.

Effie had her eyes on the door to see who entered, moving as little as she could with a hot iron wound around a lock of her hair. When she saw it was me she rolled her eyes and turned back to her mirror.

"What are you doing here?" she scoffed, releasing the curl and fluffing it with her other hand.

I turned my head further as I closed the door behind me. Effie liked to have her things on display. As I looked I noticed my missing heels mixed with hers on a shelf that was as high as she could reach. "So that's where they went," I remarked.

"It's not like you were using them," she retaliated as she rolled up another lock, annoyed.

Between the shoes and myself was a golden gown hanging up. "You got one, too," I muttered. Wondering if it had the same intricacies, I reached out, twisting the dress on its hanger. It didn't.

As I released it, it seemed somewhat familiar. I looked back at her. "Are you trying to look like that cartoon to make him happy?" I asked distastefully.

Effie only looked at me through her mirror. Her reflection narrowed its eyes at me. "What cartoon?" but looking back and forth between the dress and her reflection she realized, "Oh you mean the princess. She was ok, not my favorite. All those stupid books." I narrowed my eyes at her. "Even so it seems I'll be the belle of the ball," she said happily, then chided, "and if your dress matches your corsage then you'll be the ice queen."

"Corsage?" I echoed, confused.

"Yeah," she replied, then saw my confusion. "Wrist? Flower? I have two, I'm supposed to give you one. Which one is obvious. Then I have a boutonnière for Jude."

She saw I was still confused and scoffed, again fluffing her curls. "Honestly," she muttered disdainfully to herself before saying, "They're right here."

With arms crossed I went toward the three clear cases. Observing them, I finally got to the point. "Max purposefully got me a dress that I need your help putting on."

She set the iron down and switched it off. "Fine," she sighed. I was surprised that she wasn't putting up more of a fight. I think she realized this was her element, and she was way better at being girly than I was and right now that was worth something. She also would obey our father's wishes.

As she stood, she commanded, "Stay here, I'll be back," to her dog as though she were talking to a child. She grabbed one of the clear plastic containers and came towards me. Seeing she was leaving, I went over and hooked a pair of silver heels. When I turned around she looked annoyed but continued and I followed.

When we reached my room she set the flowers down and went right over to my dress. She smiled, very happy. "It's silver," she observed. She looked back over her shoulder to smugly remark, "Mine's gold."

She pulled and twisted it, getting a feel for how it moved and what she would need to do. I dropped my heels and waited. "Yes, well I'm sure you're very proud of yourself."

"Though you're going to definitely be an ice queen, I think you're supposed to be the token Hanukkah representation for our Jewish guests. Jude and I are definitely Christmas."

"You are definitely Christmas," I corrected. "Poinsettias have no Pagan roots, they're from Mexico and supposedly represent the Star of Bethlehem. Holly, on the other hand- well I wouldn't be surprised if Jude was supposed to be representing Yule or another Pagan holiday. Jude should be Hanukah, his name is the word for 'Jew' in German-"

"Can you stop with your pointless babble, please? It's annoying." Effie released the dress and turned back to me. "What are you doing with your hair?" she asked, ignoring everything else.

I shrugged. "Brushing it?"

She sighed deeply as she observed her cuticle situation. "I'm going to have to do hair and makeup for you too."

"That sounds like hell," I replied darkly.

She glanced up at me. "Yes, well we're having guests over and you need to look like the aristocrat you are. That means like you tried and actually gave a damn." She went over and opened my vanity drawers, sifting through them. "I'll have to do it so you're presentable. There's no way you're doing that heavy shit you used to wear when you were punk or whatever."

"Why should I let you?" I sneered.

She took a selection from my drawers and set it on the top of the vanity. She finally looked at me. "Because I know you want to leave, and the cuter and daintier you look, the more likely someone is going to take you away."

I considered this and it was enough to make me concede. "That's the first time I've every heard you say something reasonable," I muttered as I sat in the chair. She smiled, taking my brush and aggressively detangling.

Finding a piece of silver ribbon, she doubled it over the top of my head. To hold it in place, she took the hair from around my face and twisted it with the ribbon above my ears. Then she took the two ends of the ribbon and tied it in a knot behind my head, allowing the remaining length to blend in with my hair. This now allowed her to easily draw on my face. We sat in silence as she worked, at least for a bit. "Why are you putting so much effort into this?" I asked.

"Because the prettier you look, the more people will talk to you. And I know how you _so_ hate that," she replied. "And it's fun."

When she finally seemed content, she said, "Ok, you look presentable enough. Let's get you in the dress so I can go back to getting ready."

As she went over, I looked in the mirror. I didn't know how to feel about having darker eyes and lighter lips, but it was subtle enough that I still felt like myself.

When I looked back at her, she had already loosened the laces and tossed the gown at me, turning away. "Get it on and I'll lace it."

She again tended to her cuticles as I completed this task, then turned around. I waited, holding the dress on me. "Done."

As she came up behind me, she paused. Raising her hands up for a preliminary stretch, she smiled. "All right, ice witch," she began pulling on the laces, then pushed a knee into my back for leverage, "I've been waiting for this for a long time."

Annoyed and uncomfortable, I tolerated it, though didn't doubt she was leaving a lovely bruise. Remarkable, really, considering the goons hadn't in my last escape attempt. But I expected this to be nothing less than what it was.

Though it felt like longer, about five minutes had probably passed when she secured the laces.

Expecting her to leave, I turned around. She looked me up and down and then commented, "Now I know what I need to top." As she turned to leave, she reminded me, "Don't forget the corsage, Daddy will be upset. It goes on your wrist."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Could Have Been

"Please, Jemma, don't test me tonight. I have a lot going on," he sighed. He really looked at me. "Come sit with me, darling."


	26. Could Have Been

✲´*。.❄¨¯`*✲。❄。*。¨¯`*✲

* * *

 _Jemmea_

I heard boats and choppers coming in. Was it time already? I walked onto my balcony to see an array of personal yachts, jets, and helicopters settling onto the island. The light had already turned orange as the sun hovered over the horizon. I was silent, feeling a little overwhelmed.

There was a knock at the door. "Yes?" I called.

Sam hastily, and prematurely, opened the door, followed by Declan and my brother. They were all ready and slowed as they saw me. Sam stood gaping and I felt quite uncomfortable. "You look like a goddamn porcelain doll," Jude complimented, I suppose.

"Shush," was all I said. "Let's just get this over with."

The boys bounced joyfully down the hall, excited for the big party. I did not. Jude walked alongside me. I looked around me at the garlands and other decorations that had been added since this morning.

Jude took a deep breath, claiming my attention. "Ok," he exhaled. I looked at him and he had his eyes fixed on a door we were about to pass. "You're not going to like this," he noted.

"Why? What's happening?" I asked hastily.

"Pops asked me to have you stop in and see him. I know," he held up a hand as I opened my mouth, "but I think he's going to do something nice Jemmie. Please do it? For me? It's Christmas. Have this be my gift."

I did _not_ want to do it. I wanted to tell Jude that our father never does anything nice, but Jude still had a belief that we were a family. And he had asked me to do it for him. I would have done anything for him. After a long pause, I regretfully brought myself to say, "Ok."

He kissed me on the forehead and then held open the door. As I walked by him, he yelled in the melodramatic tone of my father, "Oh, you look beautiful!" and I glared at him before he closed me in.

My father was in the room, sitting by a fireplace with his wine. Aside from us, Croquet was the only other person in the room. "Oh good, Jemma, you came. Look at you, you look marvelous! I really do have the best taste." He turned to face me. "Now Jemma, I wanted to go over some expectations with you before the party. First off, I expect you to be a delightful host and talk to people. Find it in you to act like it, I know it doesn't come naturally to you. No causing trouble. No making sarcastic or derogatory remarks. And stay away from Seto Kaiba."

"Doesn't that contradict the first rule of being a good host?" I mocked.

"I just want you to try for the first half, you don't have to stay for the whole thing. Socialize and don't try to run away with anyone-"

"But if I did, wouldn't that mean I had great social skills? You do want me to have those, right?"

"Please, Jemma, don't test me tonight. I have a lot going on," he sighed. He really looked at me. "Come sit with me, darling."

Reluctantly and with arms crossed, I went to sit in the adjacent chair near the fire.

"What now?" I asked disdainfully.

"I just want to spend time with you, even with that attitude of yours. You've been gone for months." He then gazed at me somewhat admiringly. "You know we're not so different, Jemma. I also prefer solitude, why do you think I made my primary residence on a private island?"

"Because it's outside the reaches of the law and you can do whatever you want," I replied dryly.

"I won't lie to you, Jemma, that doesn't hurt. My point is that even with that trait I managed to learn how to deal with other people. You should do the same."

"You didn't learn how to do it nicely," I countered.

"No," he admitted. "Well, I don't always care to, anyway. It depends on if the person is worth the effort. But I could if I wanted to. Knowing how other people work is key to guiding your interactions with them. For instance, Kaiba-boy." I fought narrowing my eyes. "I came very close to taking over his company because I found out what motivated him and what he cared about, and then I only had to use it against him-"

"So I need to learn about other people to blackmail and manipulate them?" I reiterated.

"It doesn't have to be that harsh, but I won't pretend like that's not more likely to keep you safe from the outside world."

"I just avoid interacting with people and that works just fine," I replied.

"Yes, but that also means that you won't recognize it when people are doing it to you," he returned.

"I'm odd enough that people don't really understand how I think, nor do I really trust anyone. I'll be fine," I insisted. "Sheltering me isn't helping anything, if that's what you really want."

"I suppose," he answered. "But that's why events like tonight will be good for you. Now, before I send you out there, I have something for you." He finally stood and Croquet brought a box over to him and opened it. My father handed him his wine glass and held up a necklace, one end in each hand. "It was your mother's. Come here, let me put it on."

 _My mother_... As angry as I was with both my parents, I did miss her. Deep inside me, I wanted a family.

I rose and walked over cautiously. When I got close to my father, I slowly turned toward the mirror over the fireplace. I pulled my hair to the side and he put the necklace on me. A pale blue jewel hung from a thick silver chain. I reached up and delicately took the gem in my fingers.

"It's a blue diamond," my father said as he fussed with my pale blonde hair, so close to his own silvery hair but tinted with yellow from my mother. Perhaps he now saw it, what I had always thought he should have seen, that I was the perfect mixture of his and my mother's love, whatever that had been. Instead, whenever he looked at me he only saw what he had lost.

I wondered why he was doing this. Usually, everything was a game to him; but I was thrown off by my mother's artifact. Could it be that after all this time, after everything he had put me through, he now wanted a relationship? Even if he did, I could never let that happen. I didn't forgive so easily.

I still held the gem and watched it in the mirror as I turned it in my fingers. "It could have been this way, you know," I whispered so only he could hear me. My eyes started to glaze as I started to see all I had lost.

He looked at me in the reflection and paused. "Oh, Jemmea," he breathed. He put his hands on my shoulders, trying to comfort me. He closed his eyes and kissed the top of my head before saying, "It still can be."

It wasn't comforting, it felt unnatural and I spun, breaking his hold on me. "No," I declared fiercely. He seemed taken aback. "You don't just get to go on trips to Egypt and leave only me here with _them_ ," I referenced, looking over at Croquet long enough to lock on him before redirecting my eyes to my father. "You don't get to leave me behind and then decided you want me back in your life."

At this I delicately wiped my eyes and stormed out, getting myself together enough to face other people without them noticing something was wrong. _It's fine_ , I comforted myself, _it'll be over after tonight_.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Presents

"Don't touch my girl," he warned.


	27. Presents

**I'm really tired so not as much editing today, so sorry for anything**

 _Jemmea_

The ballroom was huge and decorated for the season.

"Merry Christmas dear. Why, I haven't seen you since you were just a little tot," came a woman's voice from behind me. I turned around to find the woman attached to the voice. I had no idea who she was, but apparently I was supposed to. "Oh, you look lovely, just like your mother. And they've done a wonderful job in here. Don't you just love Christmas?"

I figured she must be a part of my father's business world. "Yes, I think how Santa runs the North Pole is a great example of how communism really can work. I think that is a great reminder for everyone. It's clear to see Karl Marx is the true St. Nick, bestowing such a wonderful gift on the world," I replied seriously, trying to shake her.

"Yes... well... I wanted to say hi to your papa. Where is he?" she asked uncomfortably.

"I don't ca-know." Know was nicer than care.

"Well, it's okay. Take care dearest." She turned and melted back into the crowd.

I moved away from the door and surveyed my surroundings. I saw no one yet, but a bunch of people had arrived before me. I wove my way through the crowd, trying to look like I was going somewhere with a purpose so no one would talk to me. After a few minutes I heard, "Jemmie!"

The voice was familiar and I turned to see my brother approaching me with a glass in each hand. "For you," he offered.

I accepted the drink, curling my hand around the champagne and bringing it to rest against my shoulder. He pocket his other hand, slightly pushing his blazer back. A small bunch of holly was pinned to the front and he wore a slightly open white button up underneath.

"Did Effie give you shit for wearing jeans?"

"Yep," he replied. "But I'm not playing in a full suit unless it's a joke. You rebel against dad, I'll rebel against our uppity heritage." He shifted a little bit, seeming to try to get a better look at…my cheek?

"What are you doing?" I reprimanded, but he was already reaching into his pocket.

"Here," he returned, holding out a case to me. "I got this for you for Christmas, but you should open it now."

I accepted the smooth black case, snapping it open. Inside were two silver earrings. They dangled and were shaped like leaves, each filled with intricate metal work designs.

"Thank you," I said, putting one hand on his shoulder and leaning in to kiss his cheek.

"They are handcrafted. I know you appreciate craftsmanship much more than jewels," he said.

"I love them." I took them out and handed him the box. He pocketed it and held my drink.

As I put them in, I heard him comment, "If you don't wear something, they're going to close up."

I looked through his shaggy hair to see a silver stud in each lobe. "Yours seem to be doing ok," I remarked. Several years ago we had looked up how to do it ourselves, each of us piercing the other's ears.

With that gave me back my glass lifted his to drink, turning to look at the room. It was very smooth and I noticed his demeanor change slightly. His eyes were locked and smiling. As he removed the glass from his lips he had a full, charming grin.

"There's a girl over there, isn't there?" I asked dully.

"Yes, Jemmie, there is," he chirped. He kept his eyes fixed on her for as long as he could, still smiling, then letting it fade a bit when he fully turned back to me. He dropped his eyes to his drink with his slight smirk, then looked up.

"What? Was she not interested because she saw you talking to another girl?" I tried.

"No," he laughed. "We look practically identical, setting aside gender differences. It's obvious you're my sister, you're no threat."

"Then are you going to go talk to her?"

He shook his head, looking back down at his glass. In fact he seemed to be looking anywhere aside from that girl. "There's no need," he remarked as he lifted his glass again.

I said nothing to him and he saw me just looking at him. When he could, he continued, "Don't tell the others this, but the key to getting girls is having them come to you. Girls get harassed by guys, like Sam, all the time and they're sick of it. It's the wrong kind of attention. I give them the right kind of attention and wait at a distance. I'm cute, I don't usually have to wait too long. And this is only before a set. After I play it's just too easy. Then they approach me and at that point they've returned interest and I can flirt—and so on—all I want. It's all about getting the girl to come to you, just like what this asshole is doing to you," he finished, gesturing back towards the door. I turned around to see Seto entering the ballroom.

I watched him for a moment as he looked around. Before he could go any further he was intercepted by some other guests. Though he did not seem interested in them, they were persistent enough to keep him occupied. I had forgotten that he would probably know other people here. I often forgot all he was because I'd never thought too much about him, just that I enjoyed my time with him.

As I watched I felt Jude tug at my drink and turned back. He discarded his old glass on the tray of a passing waiter and started to consume mine, but his eyes were fixed on me. "I'm joking, Jemmie. You would be way too hard, that's why no boy has ever conned you into getting with him."

I just looked at him, not sure how to respond. This, however, made him unsure of the truth of what he just said. "Right?" he pressed.

"I guess…" I replied, turning back.

My gaze didn't l last long. "McGold!" my brother called, jerking my attention back. He had his arm up and looked beyond me, but then rested and swiftly finished the glass. As Sam came up beside me, Jude didn't wait. "Come on, we need to go set up," he encouraged. He turned away, expecting Sam to follow him.

Before I knew what was happening, I felt a hand on my wrist, pulling me. "Come back," Sam breathed, placing my hand on his chest and holding it there. "I have something for you. Something you'll like."

Jude glanced behind him to make sure Sam was following him. He immediately charged, grabbing Sam's wrist and pulling him away. "Are you trying to become a one-armed drummer?!"

But as they left I did not retract my hand, my lips parted as I stared longingly after them. I was torn. Sam had wanted me to feel what he had in his front pocket, which I distinctly recognized to be a hardcover book. I was very overwhelmed and nothing sounded nicer than escaping to curl up with a novel. The only problem was my agenda. I turned back, looking at Seto. It would be a while still. I had time to kill until he whisked me away. I looked back, following the boys.

It was rather dark when I went through the door by the stage. I saw the three of them, stepping over equipment and grabbing cords. Sam glanced back, hoping his stunt had worked, and saw me peeping around the corner. I quickly drew back and it took him only a moment to come around and meet me.

Grinning, Sam pocketed his hands and looked at me. "It worked."

"What is it?" I asked. It took him a minute to process this as his eyes scoured my being, biting his lip slightly.

"Huh?" he replied after a minute, finally processing it. "Oh." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the book, _Grimm's Fairytales_. "It's a small collection of some dark-ass fairytales, just like you," he remarked. "Don't tell Jude, I know about his thing with you reading."

"I won't," I vowed. My eyes dropped, no longer able to stay away from the book as I gently turned it over in my hands. I was enthralled, but after a moment I realized it was too quiet.

When I looked up, Sam's eyes were jumping from one part of my body to the next. I crossed my arms, hugging the book against my chest.

"Sam?" I began, a bit high pitched.

"Hm?" he replied, looking up at me and seeming to hope I hadn't noticed. "What is it?"

"Have I ever…" I shrugged, "touched you."

He just looked at me, unsure he had heard me right. "Come again?"

"Have I ever placed a hand on your arm or something, probably not seeming to realize it?" After what Seto said, perhaps I had done this before. Perhaps I had been giving him the wrong idea.

He shook his head vigorously. "No, no that's what I'm always hoping for. I would remember that." His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Um," I began, starting to tense. I tried to come up with a good response, but couldn't think of anything, so I was somewhat truthful. "I don't know how to answer that." I felt the need to get out as quickly as possible. "Well, I should let you get back to setting up. Thank you, or I'm sorry. I don't really know what to do right now, but I appreciate it." With that I turned quickly and fled.

I went so fast that I bumped into someone as soon as I went through the doorframe. I looked up and recognized the green eyes and black hair.

"You-" I said before I could stop myself.

He smiled. "Duke," he corrected.

"-Duke," I echoed as though I was about to say it anyway.

"Hey it's ok," he said casually as he rested a hand on my arm, still clutching the book. I looked down at it. "I think I caught you a bit off guard the other day. It's understandable you didn't remember my name."

"Hey!" I heard fiercely from behind us. We both turned to see Sam unhappily standing there. "Don't touch my girl," he warned.

Duke looked down at me. "Is that your boyfriend?" he asked.

I hesitated, but one answer would make him stop touching me. "…Yes," I decided, saying it not quite loud enough for Sam to hear.

Duke retracted his hand. "Sorry," he called back, raising the other to Sam out of… respect? "I didn't mean anything by it."

Sam glared at him but then turned away, knowing Jude would be coming after him any minute now.

"Hey, Duke?" I began.

He looked back down at me.

"You haven't told my father about seeing me the other day, did you?"

"No, I've actually been trying to find him-"

"Well could you not tell him?" I pleaded. He narrowed his eyes. "It's just that he wants to keep it under wraps, and if you told him you found out it would stress him out. I don't want him to be worried, because it's only you, right?" I tried to giggle and smile as much as I could at the end, which was really hard, to imply that he wasn't threatening. Perhaps finishing school was good for something.

He bought it. "Oh, yeah, that's totally understandable," he agreed.

I felt my shoulders drop, only then realizing how much tension I was carrying. "Great, thank you." I then excused myself, pushing through the people to find a spot I knew around the corner. Just me and my book.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Tidbits

"What does she have on you?" Duke asked cautiously, it being the first reason he could think of that Kaiba would care.


	28. Tidbits

"I said, if you'll excuse me," Kaiba repeated darkly. It was meant to be a threat, and the people who insisted on talking to him knew it, backing away. He again scanned the room. He was unable to find the blonde he sought but spotted another familiar face. Kaiba realized he was a huge threat in revealing the two.

He pushed through the crowd, going straight to him.

"Duke," he sneered. Kaiba got in his face, forcing Duke to take a step back.

"Kaiba," he replied coolly. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see you here."

"Yugi told me. About her, that you discovered her."

Duke narrowed his eyes, realizing, "You didn't know."

"That's not important now," Kaiba spat. He leaned further over him, his height only adding to his intimidation. "Have you told Pegasus yet that you saw her?"

Duke narrowed his eyes. "No, why is that such a big-"

"Good," Kaiba interrupted, standing a bit taller. "Keep it that way."

Duke was not a fan of being threatened. "Or what?" he challenged.

"Or something terrible might happen to that little shop of yours." With this Kaiba just looked down at him with cold, dead eyes. Duke knew he wasn't joking.

"What does she have on you?" Duke asked cautiously, it being the first reason he could think of that Kaiba would care. He looked over his shoulder, seeming to check if someone was watching. Kaiba caught this, feeling it was very likely her. He followed Duke's gaze to a door across the way, then left, immediately going there.

Duke watched him push his way through the crowd, a little wary now of what was going on. He remembered all of the cruel things that his friends swore Pegasus did to them. It had been hard for him to believe, but now… He scanned the room, spotting the other daughter. Effie sat with her new friend (the girl Jude spotted earlier) at a table, giggling. _It wouldn't hurt to investigate…_

He sauntered through the crowd, going up to them. "Excuse me," he intervened casually. "Mind if I sit with you?"

Meanwhile, Kaiba had reached the door. It went outside to a balcony that wrapped around the ballroom, covered by another on the floor above. No other guests had made it out here yet, making it incredibly more likely that she was here. Kaiba heard the crashing waves coming from his right and knew that's where he'd find her.

Just as he reached the corner he saw her. Jem sat on the thick railing, leaning against a support pillar. She had chosen this side not just because there was a clear view of the beach she so loved down below, but because of the moonlight. Her body was turned slightly, bumping one leg up. What there was of her lap was covered by a book.

Kaiba froze when he saw her. He gazed at her in the moonlight, so serene and quiet once again. The only thing that interrupted her peacefulness was the wind, unable to make up its mind which way to blow. It pulled the light fabric of her skirt about and pushed strands of hair in her face. Kaiba already found her terribly beautiful, but with the aid of the moonlight and her evening wear, he found her damn near irresistible.

He watched her for a moment but then decided to call out to her.

"Jem," he said sternly.

She looked up. Jem had been completely lost in the words, but seeing him quickly brought her out of it. "Seto," she brought herself to say. "Is it time?"

This brought him back into the moment. "No," he remarked, upset.

"Oh…" she replied. She decided to go to him, dog-earring the page and setting the book down as she slid off.

Kaiba watched her as she approached. The breeze pulled her dress with it, the slit momentarily displaying her legs. His anticipation built, knowing he wanted her to touch him again. His wish was granted.

Jem left no distance this time. She reached up, gripping the edges of his jacket, and pulled.

Kaiba more than allowed this, placing his hands on the small of her back and pulling her close. He had been waiting anxiously for too long. "So?" he asked vehemently. "Did you discover anything?"

"Oh, right," she said, trying to remember. "Yes."

"What?" he demanded, wrapping his arms farther and tighter around her. His reaction was distracting so she pinched her eyes shut, trying to focus.

"Um," she began, shaking her head. "Sorry- give me a minute. He was trying to explain things to me as he told me things. It didn't all make sense but I'm hoping it makes sense to you. Hopefully, he's able to tell you more later. There was something about…" remembering the term, she opened her eyes, "targeting?"

"Yes," he implored. "They can't be targeted?" he tried, knowing this much from Obelisk's description.

"No," she answered, shaking her head and looking away. "That wasn't it… it was…" she looked back at him. "Non-targeting. Non-targeting doesn't affect them. And any magic and trap cards that can be used on them will only last one turn. Does that make sense?"

"Yes," he declared happily, finally getting answers he wanted. It seemed there was much more than what was listed on the cards. He lifted his hand to her chin, forcing her attention. "This is good," he gloated. His movements kept distracting her. She looked from his eyes to his lips and back again, wondering if he would kiss her. Instead, he said, "What else?"

She thought. "The… sky dragon?" she remembered. His eyes grew intense and he pulled her face slightly closer, getting more serious.

"What about Slifer?"

"Its attack points, wait-" As she gathered thoughts, he felt her tap on his chest. "Its attack points are based on how many cards are in the player's hand. One thousand per card. And it automatically attacks the opponent's new monsters. I hope this all makes sense." Kaiba grinned devilishly. This gave him a serious advantage and in his rapture he pulled her even closer, kissing her passionately in praise. He immediately raised his hand, placing it on her cheek, the tips of his fingers in her hair. His other hand found the small of her back and he held her against him. He felt her completely give in at that point. Jem sunk into him, clinging to his jacket. She granted every request his lips made, sweetly parting with his. Her lips were soft and he found them incredibly enjoyable. His arm wrapped tighter around her, his fingers weaving deeper into her hair, only pulling back slightly for breath.

Jem kissed him back happily and he indulged in it, finally calming enough to pull her down and ask, "Was there anything else?"

"Just one thing," she said. Carefully recalling the words, she told him, "He said… a good player would recognize… that their greatest strengths-"

"-are their greatest weaknesses," he realized. This gave him something to think about. He pulled her close, straightening up. He held her cheek to his shoulder as he looked out at the ocean, thinking. _So if Slifer's power is based on the number of cards in the player's hand, how does that weaken it-_

As he thought strategy, Jem found herself peacefully and happily encased in his arms, whether he was aware he was doing it or not. She let her hand slide down from his neck to rest on his chest. It was then that he noticed the blue and white on her wrist.

He leaned back, causing her to do the same. He took her hand in his to better examine the piece. "This is strange…" he noted.

"I know, right?" she replied.

"No," he clarified, thinking she didn't get it. "I mean it's kind of an odd occasion to have one. Did Pegasus give you this?"

"Yes, he was very adamant I wear it…"

With this Kaiba released her, all except her hand. This caused her to drift back a bit, allowing his other hand to push back the plumerias and peacock feathers until he found what he was looking for.

"Hm, I was right." Kaiba pivoted to show Jem the small metal item hidden in her adornment. "It's a tracker."

"What?!" she refuted.

"It makes sense. There are no goons watching you and he's nervous you'll try and leave with one of his guests."

"Well he's not _wrong_ ," she replied, going to remove it.

"Stop," he said, catching her other hand. "If you take it off he might know you know. Leave it on. We'll leave it right when it's time to go. This is good, it might actually give us room enough to escape and buy us time."

Just then, the chatter escaping from inside dulled in favor of a clinking glass. "Hello, everyone!" came Pegasus's overly dramatic voice. Kaiba watched Jem roll her eyes and cross her arms. "Thank you, everyone for coming tonight. All of you know my family, and I wanted to celebrate tonight with you. For those of you who aren't aware, my son, Jude, is very musically talented. I've asked him to prepare a set for tonight. Please stick around and enjoy yourselves, the party is only just starting. After his set will be an announcement, so don't go anywhere!"

"Great," Jem breathed as polite applause welcomed her brother to the stage. "I have to go," she declared. "And he might be ready to talk to you. There's a door right here you should use," she shared, gesturing towards it. "You use that one, you'll be unnoticed coming in the back, and I'll go back in the other one so it's not suspicious. After you talk to him I'll either be in there or out here." She looked up at him, slowly placing a hand on his chest again. She kept her gaze another moment, finally pleading, "Please don't leave me here."

Kaiba just returned her stare. "Be ready," was all he said before he left.

Jude's voice rang. "Thanks, Pops. Thank you again to all of you for coming out tonight, and to my bandmates, Sam and Declan, for being here to help me perform tonight. I've prepared a little bit of everything, but I'm going to start off with some Christmas songs. This one is my dad's favorite. And, three, four-"

As each entered the ballroom, Jem found a spot comfortably off to the side and Kemo found Kaiba. Gruffly, he declared, "Pegasus will see you now."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Prophet

Seto ignored him, looking around the room to not see Pegasus but to see someone he never wanted to see again, and he'd _told_ her that.


	29. Prophet

**So this one took a lot of thought and detailing as well as some research. Tell me what you think.**

* * *

"Wait here, Pegasus will be here in a moment." Kemo held the door open for the young CEO. Kaiba entered, trying to find Pegasus. "Have fun, punk," Kemo said with a grin as he slammed the door.

Seto ignored him, looking around the room to not see Pegasus but someone he never wanted to see again, and he'd _told_ her that.

"So we meet again, Seto Kaiba," Ishizu greeted from the other side of the room. "I'm supposed to tell you that Pegasus apologizes. I am the reason he waited. He wanted me to meet with you but didn't think you would stick around."

"Look Ishizu, I'm not in the mood for your ridiculous fortune-telling nonsense. I'm only here for Pegasus to tell me the secrets of the God Cards, unless you're going to."

"I'm not. He can tell you, but the Pharaoh always wins. Pegasus wants to know your future. He's challenging the power of my Millennium Necklace."

"So he was going to give me information to try and change the future? Pegasus would be foolish enough to believe in that psychic bullshit. But that's fine, it only works for me."

Ishizu just stood there, looking at him. "Yes, well I'm afraid I won't let him do that," she replied.

"What?!" he fumed.

"It still gives you an unfair advantage. Even if my necklace favors the Pharoah, his victory is too important to jeopardize."

"That's such bullshit. And you're an idiot to think you can stop Pegasus," Kaiba spat, furious. He had not waited all this time just to be screwed over by a false prophet.

"He's going to believe everything I say. I'll say you'll win, and he won't be inclined to tell you."

Kaiba clenched his fists.

"I need you to plan the tournament. When you go I will distract Pegasus, but I can only do it for so long."

"So now what? You're claiming he won't let me leave?" he disputed.

"Not with his daughter," she replied simply. "And I'm afraid you need her to fulfill your destiny."

"What do you mean?" he refuted darkly.

"I mean you have an ancient duty to fulfill." Ishizu turned to the window. She was always overdramatic. "I am also here to keep a promise that I made in my past life, over 5,000 years ago."

Kaiba was annoyed. "A promise?"

She closed her eyes. "It was a promise to you, Priest."

"I don't believe you." He should have known better than to say that from last time.

"Well then, I will have to show you again." Ishizu turned to Kaiba and he was blinded by a light.

* * *

When all seemed quiet, Kaiba opened his eyes. He was in a familiar place, though he did not know why it felt so familiar. _It must be another of Ishizu's tricks_ , he thought. It was a hallway, dimly lit by torches.

He began hearing voices. " _Why? He's so caught up in his ideas and what's best for everyone else. But just this one time... Isis, why couldn't he just let it go?_ "

Then a familiar woman's voice, " _You must stop, my priest. This isn't doing you any good. I've never seen you like this. It worries me. Just think of the power you now have-_ "

The two figures turned the corner. Kaiba saw himself again, just as in the memory where he was dueling Yugi, or the dark man who looked like him anyway. And by the looks of it, Ishizu had decided to place herself in the hallucination as well.

He was storming down the hall, obviously upset, and she was trying to keep up with him. Although it was his next actions that surprised Kaiba the most.

The priest spun around. " _Power? Power is not the most important thing, Isis_."

 _How is that supposed to convince me that we are the same person? This woman definitely did not do her homework,_ Kaiba thought.

At that point, the priest couldn't do it anymore. He fell apart, dropping to his hands and knees. " _I...she...Kisara.._."

 _What is he talking about?_ Kaiba wondered.

Isis stood by, unsure of what to do. " _Priest, you are on a quest to collect all the kas. You were only following your destiny._ " She paused, seeing that she wasn't helping. " _Priest, is there anything I can do?_ "

" _Isis, you are so loyal. I am putting all my faith in you. Promise me…_ "

" _Seto, it wasn't your fault-_ "

" _I can still feel him, Isis. His darkness is now a part of me. Promise that you will never let me do this again._ "

Isis hesitated for a moment. " _I promise, my priest_."

* * *

The memory faded and Kaiba found himself back in Pegasus' castle. He was on one knee, a hand grasping the back of the couch for support as Ishizu stood silently looking out the window. The only thing to be heard was Kaiba's gasps for breath.

Ishizu broke the silence. "I intend to keep my promise." She turned to him. "That is why I am here today."

Kaiba rose to his feet. "Explain."

"In ancient Egypt, you were on a mission. This mission was to gather kas. A 'ka' is one of many pieces of the soul. It exists in a parallel world which we refer to as the shadow realm. The ancient Egyptians were able to pull them from the shadows and seal them away in stones to be called on for Shadow Games, which I explained to you when we met before. Once the ka was in our world, it still took some energy to summon, but nowhere near as much as summoning from the shadows directly. The person who the ka is connected to is the portal to bringing the creature into our world. You were tasked with finding people and collecting their kas so the Pharaoh and his six priests would reclaim power.

"However, there was one girl who you came to be quite protective of. As it turned out, her ka was that of the Blue Eyes White Dragon." She paused, "But your father, unknown to you, wanted _you_ to be the Pharaoh. He asked the Gods and was told that a ghostly, blue-eyed girl held the ka of a dragon that would allow you to reign supreme. She fit this description, and at the time her ka was the most powerful one known. Therefore he thought that the girl from the prophecy was Kisara. And as you said, he did what he thought was best for everyone."

"What does that mean?"

"Soul fragments can be separated and the person can still live, as demonstrated when Pegasus took your ba, or the part of your soul that is your essence. But that exists in this world, the ka does not. To summon a ka into this world takes an incredible amount of one's life force. So far no one has discovered a power strong enough to restore the life force that is lost. This, along with being weakened already in battle, Kisara was lost to your ancestor, but what was left of her soul fused with the priest's. You are not only the priest in the visions, but her as well. It explains why you're so close to your Blue Eyes. It was once a part of your soul. I imagine you have figured out which girl the prophecy was really referring to at this point."

"You honestly expect me to believe that?" The room was silent for a moment. "How is Jem related to this 'promise' of yours?"

"The ka of the girl you know as Jem is restless. Her connection to it drives her to be the same. It's restless because it has felt her distress and wants to help her, but if she knew how to summon it, it could be very dangerous. If you were able to collect it, you would have enough power to defeat Yugi. But my promise is to not let you hurt one you love for such power."

"Who says I love her?" Kaiba retaliated.

"If that is truly the case," she said, "take this." She handed him a blank Duel Monsters card. "If you so choose, you can use this to collect her ka and take her power for yourself, but I must warn you, it could destroy her. Now you know and I have kept my promise. You may go now. Pegasus had your helicopter moved to the roof. I suggest you take the girl."

Kaiba left without giving Ishizu even one last flustered look. He was done with this place.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Christmas Wrapping

"Lock it down," Pegasus ordered.

"What about Seto Kaiba?"

"I'll deal with him after individually and thoroughly."


	30. Christmas Wrapping

Jude finished, slowly drawing out the last few notes alone on stage with his harp. The crowd was delighted with his performance and gave him enthusiastic applause. He stood, smiling as he raised a hand in gratitude. Enthralled by the attention, Jude carried his smile offstage. When Jem saw this, she took the opportunity to again sneak away, returning to her book.

Backstage, his bandmates were waiting for him. "Nice, dude," Declan complimented, raising his hand. Jude mirrored him and the two clasped their hands in respect.

"I'm not going, to lie," Sam said, "it's not usually my taste, but that wasn't bad."

A goon was alone with them. "Wow boys," he said, coming up to them. Jude had spoken with this goon, hearing and appreciating Jude before. They weren't friends but seemed to like each other well enough. "That was really spectacular. Don't tell Master Pegasus, but I've got to give you these for that," he said, reaching into his pocket. The suit presented them with three cigars and the teens perked up.

"Wow, man," Jude marveled, being the first to take one. "Thanks a lot."

"Merry Christmas. Why don't you three go out and celebrate a job well done," the goon encouraged.

"Right on." "Thanks, man." "Merry Christmas." With this, the three didn't wait to head out to the balcony. The goon watched them, and only once they were out of sight did he turn to his radio.

"It's done, the boys are out," he reported.

Croquet verified this on his screen, watching the location of the three children. Jemmea was expectedly secluded without needing encouragement. Effie was also out of the ballroom, her father suggesting she take a break from the party. Not questioning her father's wishes, she left, but not without inviting Duke to go with her, which went overlooked as Jude ended his set. Looking up, Croquet verified, "They're all out, sir."

"Lock it down," Pegasus ordered.

"What about Seto Kaiba?"

"I'll deal with him after individually and thoroughly."

As Croquet went about ordering his men, Pegasus turned to Shadi, the three secluded. "Are you ready to do this?"

The mysterious man slowly turned to him. "Yes, old friend. I know you must feel vulnerable without your Millennium Eye. I can do this one favor for you, but I must return to my duties once this one favor is done."

"Very good," Pegasus replied. "I do appreciate it." Shadi simply nodded and went onto the stage. Before it started, Pegasus left the room to tend to his more dangerous victim.

"Excuse me, I have an announcement," Shadi demanded coolly as he took the stage. His presence was enchanting and he quickly won over the room. It was enough that no one noticed the goons back out and seal all the doors behind them. "All of you have had some encounter with Maximillion's three children. I encourage you now to recall all interactions you've had." He removed his key and closed his eyes. Holding it out in front of him, he focused hard as he unlocked each mesmerized mind. "Now, Millennium Key, I bid you, collect all memories of the children from this room and banish them. Do not allow anyone to remember. Extract the three from their minds, never again to visit their thoughts or dreams!"

Slowly, each memory was erased. When Shadi felt confident he had gathered all of them, he again opened his eyes. Lowering the key, he let them all come out of their stupor. "Like I was saying, thank you all for coming."

At this he turned, going off to disappear once again, and Croquet took the stage to help reorient everyone and redirect their attention.

Outside, Jemmea kept glancing up from her book and until she finally spotted him hastily approaching from the corridor onto the balcony. She straightened up quickly and implored, "It's time?"

"Yes," he announced. "But without his consent. My helicopter is on the roof. We have to move now." It was the moment she had been waiting for. Jem swiftly set her book down, taking of the corsage and dropping it to the ground. Before she straightened up she added her shoes to the pile as they would only be noisy and slow her down. Hastily, it seemed she went to greet him, but just when she was about to meet him she veered, descending a set of stairs that led to the balcony below, encouraging, "Come on, to your brother."

Kaiba pivoted just in time to see her descend into the darkness like a specter, the light fabric catching the air and billowing out behind her as she reached the bottom of the staircase. He was quick to follow.

The two crossed under the corridor Kaiba just came from, heading toward the southwest wing. It didn't take long for Kaiba to recognize the open corridor that had been outside his window.

Jem was quick and nimble, knowing this too well. Slowing, she hopped up on the sill of an opening, only to hop back down into the garden, her dress flowing behind her like liquid wherever she raced. Seto didn't hesitate to follow her, though his long legs allowed him to beat her to the window once the two were in the courtyard. Flinging it opened he climbed through, though offered no chivalry this time as he went to his computer, swiftly opening it. Everything else was packed.

Jem was beside him in a moment. One hand rested on his shoulder as she leaned over, the other pointing to a section of cameras. "Pause or rewind these," she informed before using the hand on him to push herself back. As he scanned the monitors, she went to the door, pulling the pale bobby pins her sister had used from her hair. She swiveled at the door, reshaping the metal.

"Damn," Kaiba muttered, seeing Pegasus discover his absence on the screen. "They're onto us."

Jem glanced at the screen again and recognized where they were. "He'll send at least one here. I'd say we have about two minutes. Start with this hall," she instructed as she stepped outside. The camera was not reset but based on where they were she had faith that Kaiba could tamper with it before her father could reach a place to view his monitors, so she moved on.

Crouching when she reached the other door, she went at the lock. Mokuba had been sitting near the door with his backpack strapped on, ready to go all day. Hearing the soft scratches in the lock, he grew curious, hopeful, and anxious all at once. "Seto? Is that you?" he called.

Jem hadn't realized yet that she'd have to speak to him but responded as she focused on the lock. "No, I'm helping your brother. He's messing with the video security across the hall right now. We are both at odds with the same guy so I'm helping bust you out now so we can all get out of here before they find us," she informed. Mokuba was surprised, not knowing his brother to team up with anyone before, but it sounded like the two had a deal, which he guessed explained it. "Are you a good climber?" she asked.

Mokuba shrugged. "Yeah," he answered just as she got the final click. Jem hastily opened the door and Mokuba was shocked at what he saw. A very pretty girl was before him, the ends of her dress spread around her on the floor like the petals of a blossom. Her looks perhaps also helped explain why his brother was tolerating her. Kaiba was able to hide a lot, but not as much from his little brother, and Mokuba knew he would find her absolutely stunning. His curiosity was peaked, wondering to what degree his big brother had allowed himself to appreciate it. She tossed the small metal pieces into the room where they would likely go undiscovered.

Bewildered, Mokuba said, " _You're_ helping my brother?" She didn't know what that insinuated or how to answer it but was saved by Kaiba.

"Mokuba, we have to go now," he spat as he rushed out of the room.

Jem was already up, turning over her shoulder as she went towards the garden doors. "The best way will be the way you've seen me go," she disclosed, not waiting for them.

Mokuba turned to his brother. "And what have _you_ been up to?" he seemed to accuse.

"Not now, Mokuba, we have to go." Kaiba was swift and Mokuba didn't hesitate to fall in step beside him.

"Seto, who _is_ that?"

"That's Jem," he informed, ready to leave it at that. Kaiba knew they didn't have time for this. "Mokuba, let's go. Do you have the keys? Pegasus has mine, thinking we can't leave."

"Yeah, I got you, bro."

As the two started to move, she raced to the jagged spot on the stones, beginning to climb, careful to place her feet between the split in her skirt. Reaching the top she quickly went along the edge just in time to meet the other two by the window. In the same motion, Kaiba set down his suitcase and grabbed Mokuba, hoisting him up before Mokuba knew what was happening. Jem grabbed Mokuba, the two of them holding onto the boy until he was securely on the ledge. Mokuba knowingly turned back just as Kaiba raised his suitcase, passing it to his brother. Kaiba then jumped, grabbing the ledge and pulling himself up without a problem.

It was enough to distract Jem momentarily. "Impressive," she admired before turning and ducking in the window. She slid through, her dress trailing behind her. Mokuba pivoted back to look at his brother, wondering if he would have any reaction to what, to Mokuba, was a clear attraction. Kaiba very consciously gave no reaction with this and redirected his brother, encouraging him on. She didn't wait, running ahead within view as Kaiba helped his brother. The boys were quick to follow her once they were through. She ran ahead, the two catching glimpses of her as she led them through hallways and stairwells, making sure they trailed her as she went.

Finding her way back into the moonlight, she hopped up the stairs, first on the roof. She quickly discovered that he was not the only one to fly to the island, the roof littered with copters. She quickly whirled around, trying to see if one was obviously his. Jem felt ok now, and knowing the two were close behind her, allowed them to catch up as she found her breath.

"Who's there?" A goon had been put on patrol up here for this exact reason. Hearing her breathing, he came to investigate. He only had to turn around one vessel before he saw her, stunned and frozen before she could react. "You," he recognized. He reached for his radio and she saw this.

"No!" she cried desperately, but when he didn't stop she moved, too close now to give up. She simply wanted to intercept him, but he caught her and used the momentum to reflexively slam her into the side of the closest chopper. Not having been trained with smaller girls, he slung her a bit too hard, causing her to hit her head. It was enough to knock her unconscious and she fell to the ground.

He froze for a moment, staring at her. Behind him, Kaiba emerged. She lay on the cold stone, unmoving and helpless. Seeing her still, her hair in her face as she barely breathed with the goon standing over her, Kaiba lost it. Without the goon ever seeing him, Kaiba attacked, elbowing and punching him to the point where he too laid unconscious on the cold stone. Once he was satisfied enough, Kaiba went to her.

"Jem!" he called fiercely as he knelt beside her, his hands coming to rest on her. Spinning around, he saw his horrified and concerned brother. "Mokuba, take my briefcase, find the helicopter and start it," he ordered before turning to her.

Mokuba was quick to scoop up the abandoned suitcase and begin his search. The elder brother turned back to the girl, brushing her hair out of her face. "Jem?" he tried again, his hand on her cheek and other at her hip, but she was out cold. "Dammit," he scorned. Hearing the blades start to whirl, he knew Mokuba had found their helicopter and gathered her in his arms, following the whirlwind.

Kaiba and Mokuba were in perfect sync, switching positions as Seto climbed in. As he gently set her in the passenger seat, Mokuba returned to close the door. By the time he had it closed, Seto was in the pilot's seat and they were off into the night.

 **Thoughts?  
** **Feelings?**

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Going Back

He had to find her.


	31. Going Back

The three boys chatted outside on the balcony for a long time as their cigars wore down, creating a lasting memory to look back fondly on of tonight. As his cigar became too small to be useful, Jude watched himself put it out before tossing it over the railing, mentioning, "All right, I have a girl waiting for me."

"Jemmie?" Sam asked.

Jude lifted his eyes, correcting himself. "I might have two girls waiting for me."

"Might?" Declan echoed.

"Yeah, I think J might have gotten a ride out of here," Jude answered.

"Man," Sam mused, his eyes facing the view as he tuned into his imagination, "it's nice that your dad flies us in and all, but I wish I could do it myself. Then I could take her away with me, and she'd finally have some appreciation for me."

"Keep dreaming," Jude told him as he pocketed his hands. "Even if you learned how, I'd still have my dad do that."

"You don't want her to leave?" Sam speculated. "Even though she's happier elsewhere?"

Jude turned away at this, not wanting to talk about it anymore. It was his greatest conflict because he did miss her, but her happiness was more important to him. As he strode back, he considered which one he should go to first, since Jemmie was trying to leave. First, he decided he'd let fate decide, just going to look in general and see who he came across first. Though as he thought more about it, he decided to try to find his father. Perhaps he could help keep him occupied to help his sister get away or be there to check on his father if he realized she was already gone.

He pocketed his hands in the sides of his open blazer, toying with how it caught and the tension of the fabric as he began to walk. Hating the silence, he began to whistle to himself instead of his usual singing.

As he approached the ballroom door, he couldn't hear even a mild hum of a gathering. He lowered his eyebrows skeptically, curious as he opened the doors. Everyone was gone. _…the fuck long was I out here?_

He crossed, going for the main entrance to start to backtrack where the guest would have gone, perhaps able to still see them leave. He found nothing and wandered toward a wing his father was often in. As he happily whistled to himself, he would stretch to peek in rooms that he passed.

When he strolled by one room, he thought he spotted long silvery hair in the dark. When he stepped back to look again, he realized he did indeed see that, it just didn't belong to Jemmie, but instead their father. Though the room was dark, the moon illuminated the balcony outside. Pegasus stood out on the open balcony, alone, looking off toward the dark horizon.

Jude placed a hand on either side of the door frame, rocking forward.

"Hey, Pops?" he voiced. "What happened to everyone?"

"Your sister has run away again," Pegasus replied, his mind fixed. He didn't look back at his son, clearly feeling somber about it.

Jude stopped with his rocking. This was the other reason he had mixed feelings about Jemmie leaving. He knew the two didn't get along, but he didn't know why Jem had to make their father so broken up about it. This was the main reason he didn't follow her, not sure how heartbreaking it would be if another person left their father. Jude felt some need to make up for what Jem lacked, especially as her twin.

Outside, the third child was about to pass by unnoticed when she heard her father. Effie slowed and stopped to listen quietly from around the corner.

Effie knew that her father was upset—she knew him well. She was fed up with how she was always so sweet to her father, and Jem was horrible, but it still seemed he saw her elder sister in a higher light.

"You can't take it personally, Pops. It's just the way she is," Jude tried to comfort.

Pegasus smiled limply toward the horizon. He knew that Jude was wrong, but appreciated the sentiment. _Oh Juda, why couldn't your sister have been the optimist out of you two?_ "Thank you, my boy. Now go on, you should be getting to bed."

At this, Effie silently slipped away before she could be caught eavesdropping.

Jude hit the door gently with his fist. "Yeah, ok. Night, Pops," he said before backing away.

 _Oh, Cecelia, you would know how to handle this girl, wouldn't you?_ he asked. He recalled when his wife had first pointed it out to him...

 _Pegasus_

The afternoon light streamed through the windows of the tower, allowing me to see every detail of my beautiful wife. The sunlight gave the bricks behind her a warm hue. I studied all of this as I looked back and forth from the scene to my canvas.

My wife stared peacefully out the window, now in one of her better moments. We could hear the echo of our children's voices and laughter come from outside. They were down below, playing on a large balcony outside on this lovely day. This was what my wife was watching. Everything about this moment was perfect.

I dabbed the tiniest bit of a blue, pure as skies, on my brush. I used it to fill in the bright eyes my wife only shared with our Jemma. As I worked carefully, I heard gently, "Look at her."

"Hm?" I drew back, pulled from my focus to look at my wife. She still stared down at our children and I followed her gaze.

Our youngest, Effie, was trying to learn how to walk with the help of our nanny, Avery. My wife had selected the young man for them, saying he had a "caring-soul." He also had a degree in Child Development, and he was the one my wife wanted, so I agreed.

My boy sat on the ground, grasping different toys in each hand to knock together, seeming to be testing the different noises they made. He then dropped a block, seeming to discard it, but when it hit the ground, he turned back to it, now interested. He dropped his other toy to favor the block, then dropped the block again. He seemed to like the sound it made and picked the block up again to now throw it. Finding this delightful, Jude looked over. His twin was near him, working with the blocks to make a tower. He selected a block from her unused pile and threw that one too.

Avery noticed this and turned his attention from the baby to the boy. "Jude, no. We don't throw blocks." Jude ignored this and took another block from the pile and threw it. Avery got up at this, on his way to stop the block-thrower.

As soon as he stood, though, little Effie began to cry, hating that he was no longer giving her attention. He turned back to briefly assure her he would be back but did not want to bring her over into the line of fire. This allowed my son to throw several more blocks.

I had thought that my wife had meant our youngest when she said 'her' since she was learning to walk and a very cute little one. But it was our quiet daughter that she was referring to. "I was talking to Avery, and he says Jemmea is remarkable for her age."

My little girl was ignoring everyone around her, focused on her tower. It was as tall as she was, and was not just one block on top of the other, but a sturdy three-dimensional structure. She noticed she had run out of blocks, so Jemma looked to see the cast-off blocks her twin had thrown. As her sister continued to cry and Avery stopped Jude, she collected the blocks in her arms, going back to her tower. She reached up, her light blue dress lifting slightly with her arm as she carefully placed the blocks.

"How is the twins' language coming?" I asked.

"He said it's coming, but slowly. He said though it's often considered a developmental delay, he doesn't see it that way. They are developing language skills, just not our language. The problem is they're just more interested in talking to each other than anyone else, so we all need to try to engage them more."

Seeing as Jemma had all the blocks, Avery finished with Jude and went back to comfort Effie. Jemma noticed him go back, then looked down at her brother next to her. Knowing that he wanted blocks to throw, she gave him one. Jude smiled and tossed it, and Avery shot back up to address the two.

✲´*。.❄¨¯`*✲。❄。*。¨¯`*✲

Pegasus continued to stare out after his Jemma. _Just who she is, hmm?_ he repeated to himself. Pegasus had known for a while that his older daughter was special, but he never knew how to foster it. He was always torn between reprimanding her and letting her do whatever she wanted, wanting her to be happy, but everything she did seemed to be destructive, and he couldn't allow that. He had to find her.

* * *

 _Kaiba_

After flying for about ten minutes over the water, Jem's eyes fluttered open. She then jolted upright in her seat. Realizing she was safe, she closed her eyes and put a hand on her face, leaning back.

"Are you all right?" a small voice asked from behind us. Mokuba was curled up in a ball in the back, hugging his knees to his chest.

"Yeah, fine." Her answer wasn't very convincing. She opened her eyes and twisted around in her seat to see two eyes peer out at her.

"I know how you feel," Mokuba whispered. Jem's eyes flashed questionably over to me, but I kept my gaze straight ahead, motionless.

Seeming to need to, she rested her head back, covering her face. This prompted Mokuba to get up, going to look at her.

"Oh, no, really," she tried to dissuade when she saw him, removing her hands. He still stretched, trying to see all of her face.

Unlike me, Mokuba wasn't reluctant to reach out and move some of her hair away to see her better. "Are you a natural blonde?" he asked, probably using small talk to try to make her feel comfortable.

"Yeah," she uttered, not sure what to make of this.

After his initial glance, he turned to me. "I don't see anything-"

I interrupted him by reaching out to hit a button, this not good enough. "Roland," I demanded.

After a minute Roland replied. "Mr. Kaiba! Are you on your way back? Wh-"

"Yes," I answered in my usual impersonal tone. "And I want a doctor there when I arrive." Then I turned to my brother. "Mokuba, don't let her fall asleep. I think she may have a concussion."

"Got it." I knew what would make her happy and keep her engaged.

"Mokuba," I commanded.

"Yeah, bro?"

"Do you have a book?"

He didn't seem to know what to make of this, but answered, "Yeah, my school reading… why?"

I didn't need to answer; her response did it for me. "Oh you do?" she piped up. "What is it?"

Seeing that she was interested, he answered her amicably, "The Giver…"

"Would you like me to read it to you?" she offered.

Accepting, he led her to the back. She sat as he extracted the book. Handing it to her, he settled in next to her. Jem was thoroughly distracted as she opened to remove the bookmark but then paused, glancing down.

Mokuba had made himself comfortable, sitting directly next to her and resting his head on her arm. She didn't seem to know what to make of this, probably just never experiencing it before, but eventually decided that it was ok and began to read. This lasted for a long time before Mokuba couldn't fight his weariness anymore and fell asleep.

Noticing his steady breathing, she moved as much as she could to check. Tenderly, she moved his midnight hair away from his face, then gently spun to lay him down, bringing his feet up on the seat as well. With him settled she snuck away, but not without the book.

Silently, she crept back to the front to reclaim the seat. It didn't take her long to open the book again, this time starting at the beginning. I monitored her discreetly. She released one arm, slowly running it over the one that held the book. I realized without Mokuba she must be cold. Without a word, I leaned forward, pulling at the sleeves of my jacket as I continued to pilot.

It did not take me long to remove it. Once it was off, all I did was reach over and drop it over her armrest. Jem noticed and looked back at me, but only saw the same portrait as before, save one jacket. Without a word, she looked down at the garment and graciously accepted it, laying it over her front to huddle under as she resumed her occupation with the book.

As I started to think ahead, I realized that I was now inevitably bringing her home. I glanced at her again, and my fears were only confirmed when I found her just as alluring. The other night I had given in to my urges, expecting to leave them on the island, but now… the idea of having her in my house, under my control—I liked to too much. I had an unsuccessful fight with myself over keeping her for a few moments before I temporarily gave up, again turning my thoughts to the God Cards.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Falling (Last Chapter)

I didn't make empty threats. And that threat had been that I'd keep her in my room.


	32. Falling

✲´*。.❄¨¯`*✲。❄。*。¨¯`*✲

* * *

 _Kaiba_

Finally reaching the destination, Jem watched as the roof below parted for the copter. As soon as we landed, I was up, going to Mokuba.

Roland had been waiting and came straight to us, opening the door. Seeing Mokuba, he assumed. "Mr. Kaiba! Is he ok?"

"Roland quiet or you'll wake him up," I replied irritably as I scooped my brother up. Ducking in the small space, I ordered a confused Roland, "It's for her. Take her and make sure she doesn't have a concussion or anything. I'll be back momentarily," I concluded as I climbed out.

With me out of the way, he saw her for the first time and was beyond confused. He blushed, bowing, "Of course," he replied to me. Straightening up, he offered her his hand, being courteous and chivalrous to my guest. "Miss, if you would just come with me."

She didn't take his hand, but she did go, though apprehensively. I saw her clutch the side of the door as she climbed out, as far away from him as she could be, shy again. I smirked as I turned away, realizing once again how special the way she acted with me was.

Laying Mokuba on his bed, I pulled his shoes off and put a blanket over him. I lingered a moment, looking at him. Part of me felt bad for bringing him back there, but I had gotten the edge I needed. He had faced his fears for me, and I couldn't ask for a more loyal brother. Quietly I snuck out, not bothering to be quite as careful after I closed the door. _Now, where is my pri_ _ze?_

Pegasus needed to learn that he plays by my rules, not his. Nobody insults me. He'd taken things from me; it was only fair I take something from him. Though I had only said those things to Pegasus to get a rise out of him, I now found myself in one of the situations I'd threatened. I didn't make empty threats, and that threat had been that I'd keep her in my room. Besides, now that I was back I would need to rid myself of these unacceptable desires for her. I would go back into denial about it soon, as soon as this time with her ended. That could wait a day.

Making my way back to where I left her, I found them in the dining room. She sat on the table, her feet on the chair after her examination. The doctor had come and gone it seemed, and I turned to Roland. "The doctor says she's fine."

I only responded with, "You can go." He nodded to me before he ducked out. With him gone, I turned to her.

The fabric of her dress fell fluidly with that of my jacket. She held it, the top just meeting the neckline of her dress, and it almost looked as though that's all she had to cover her. There was something about seeing her clutch it to her that I quite liked.

Slowly, I approached her. Close enough, I moved the chair out of the way, her feet now dangling as she watched me approach. Her eyes were bright as she watched and waited. I set a hand on the table on either side of her, leaning toward her.

After a moment she said, "They said I'm ok, so I should be getting back now-"

"You don't have to," I interrupted. Something about sending her home now didn't feel right. True, we were back in Domino and had been careful about not leaving any evidence that she left with me, but that didn't mean that they didn't find any. If they found anything or were able to establish a timeline, perhaps based on when that goon came to—if he came to—and when the other guests left, that could give us away. If they knew that she ran off with me, he'd scour Domino. But if she were here with me, he wouldn't be able to touch her, and he knew it.

This took her off guard, and she just looked at me. I was going to ask but then made the decision for her. "Stay here tonight: it's safer."

She looked away and raised her shoulders. "…Ok," she agreed, dropping her shoulders and looking back up to me, but she didn't seem sold.

"What?"

"I just… don't have other clothes or shoes… and I was kind of hoping to bathe-"

"I can provide you with anything you could possibly want," I interrupted. Things were a nonissue at this point in my life.

Shrugging a bit, she just shook her head slightly; her eyes fixed on me. "I can't argue with you." I knew that she meant she wouldn't argue with me, and I liked this very much.

 _Jemmea_

"Follow me," Seto interjected before I could say another word, pulling away. I slid from the table to follow him.

He walked ahead of me silently, and though he walked at an even pace, I could never quite catch up with him. When he noticed, he turned back, waiting for me, and eyed me as I came up beside him. I had been looking around at his house, but when he didn't start walking again, I looked back at him.

"Are you nervous?" he asked trying to figure out why I was so slow. I was starting to realize Seto was taking me somewhere secluded.

"No, you're just hard to keep up with," I answered, extending my hand slightly. I hoped he would take it and be my guide through the unfamiliar halls.

He looked at it a moment before he accepted it and turned, perhaps my slowness annoying him. He led me upstairs and through wide hallways until we came to a beautifully embellished door. Seto opened it revealing a large, white room. A wall made entirely of windows, covered in translucent white curtains, cast shadows on the pure white walls. A faint glow shone through them, just enough to see around the room. There was a seating area created by chairs and a couch made of clean lines oriented around a fireplace. A large bed was off to the other side, made in all white sheets, and rested a step above the rest of the room. This was the master bedroom—his bedroom. Seto had just privately escorted me to his bedroom.

Seto stated, "Flame," and suddenly there was soft lighting created by the fire. Without looking back, he pivoted his body and rested a hand on the small of my back, which he used to encourage me onward. Seto walked me deeper into his room with only a few of his strides, guiding me before the fire. I wasn't sure what was going on, and knowing Seto I couldn't really come up with any predictions. But then he dropped his hand and turned away. I curiously twisted to watch him as he went over to one of the doors in his room. He opened it and entered. Beyond him, I could see white marble and heard running water. Interested, I followed, peeking around the corner before I let my body follow.

The marble covered the beautiful and extravagant bathroom, decorated with accents of blue. Seto was close, straightening up next to the deep bathtub beside the window. My movement caught his attention, and with it seeming to be a form of consent I approached him.

"There's a clean robe and towels over there," he gestured. "I'll be just outside."

He then turned to leave, and quickly I stepped forward and caught his arm, meaning to do so for the first time. I pulled him back to me, closer to my body, and he turned to look down at me.

"Thank you," I said. I didn't even need finishing school for that one. I released his arm, slowly moving it to rest on his chest as I leaned in. I looked into his eyes. "Being here- You don't know how much this means to me."

Unsure of what to do, he repeated, "I'll be outside."

My hand slid off his chest, and I finally turned away. After a moment I heard the door click and he was gone. Looking down, I laid his jacket on the counter nearby before moving on to fuss with the water temperature. After a moment I got it to my liking, then stood, reaching around me to feel the lacings.

Not feeling the tie at first, I went over to the mirror. Seeing as Effie fastened me in here, I was quite nervous that I would need help getting out of it. Despite liking Seto, I even knew that would certainly imply more than I was comfortable with. Luckily I was able to find and loosen the strings, letting it fall to the ground. As it did, I realized that was it for that dress as I couldn't manage to put it on again alone. Oh well. After taking out the pins, I had lost anything in my hair during the escape and now tied it in a high knot to keep it dry.

The tub was near perfect as I went to it, turning off the tap and climbing in. It was immediately soothing as I laid back, taking a deep breath. Though as relaxing as it was, I realized I could fall asleep here if I wasn't careful, so I went about washing myself and not wasting any time. Once I felt more like a person again, I laid back for a moment, determined not to fall asleep. I let myself relax a bit, looking up at the ceiling.

 _I made it_ , I marveled to myself. I shook my head a bit. _Somehow, I'm here, and out of all the places I could be_ …

Before I left for the castle, yes, I had admired Seto and thought him to be rather attractive, but I had left it at that. It came as a total shock to me when I realized my subconscious had a different plan, but once I realized this, I was thoroughly enticed. He hadn't pushed me away, and on the island he made his interest perfectly clear. Well, that there was interest. What that meant exactly I wasn't sure, knowing my brother, but I also knew not all people were like that. I certainly wasn't, and Seto was more like me from what I'd seen.

Realizing I was probably keeping him waiting, I let the water drain and reached for a towel. I dried myself off rather quickly as well before discarding the towel in a hamper, reaching for the clean white robe. It was soft, warm, and delightful, and I noticed it had his logo. I happily wrapped it around myself, it big enough that each end wrapped fully around the other side. Securing it, I felt it would securely stay as the fabric slightly caught on itself. I rolled the sleeves up a bit as they were a bit long for me.

Spotting a small trash can, I picked up my dress and simply discarded it. It was nothing more than a bad memory now, and I much preferred Seto's comfort to Max's appearances. Finally, all that was left was his jacket. I didn't want to leave it on the counter and decided to hang it up.

As I gathered it, I pulled the vast fabric against me once more before returning to him. I clung to it, holding the jacket against my chest and face. Relaxing, I closed my eyes and blissfully breathed in his scent. I felt a calm happiness fill me, filling me with a slight longing and forcing me to smile all at eyes shot open. That was when I knew.

At that moment, I realized, without a doubt, that I was falling hard and fast, for Seto Kaiba.

I pulled back a little and huffed, my happiness tormented by the unfamiliarity and distrust of it. I looked around. I couldn't complain, but I was perhaps getting attached to something that was not shared. Not wanting to deal with it, I hung the jacket up and turned, releasing my hair as I returned to him.

 _Kaiba_

I sat in the darkness with nothing but the warmth of the flame and glow from my laptop. There was a faint light coming from under the door, and though it was quiet, I could hear her as she moved in the water. It was almost peaceful for me, knowing she was happily and safely tucked away in a space I now controlled.

Without the network connection, I no longer had such easy access to Pegasus' security feed. Not caring to hack it again, I sat near my fireplace while I waited for her. My elbows rested on my knees as I leaned forward. I went about checking stocks and email, though part of me kept thinking of Slifer. My suitcase filled with cards was open on the table, and I occasionally sifted through in hopes something would trigger a card I wasn't thinking of. I tried to think of what strategies a player might use and how to counter it as I simultaneously went about my business.

It wasn't long before my room was flooded with light when she opened the door, but she was conscious of this and quickly turned it off. Preoccupied, I gave her no attention; however, she didn't seem to mind.

Jem quietly walked around, coming to settle down right next to me. She didn't wait to lean on me, her cheek coming to rest at the back of my shoulder, and then she was completely still. This wasn't the first time. She had clung to me after I woke her up on the beach before, too.

"Are you always this direct when you're tired?" I asked dryly as I continued, yet all I received was a small, tired hum.

I turned to look over my shoulder as best I could. She was content, her eyes closed. Not knowing what to do if she fell asleep like this, I began to pivot. She was awake enough to respect this but asleep enough that she stayed close. I expected her to sit up as I spun, my body starting to face hers as I raised an arm to rest along the back of the couch, thinking that withdrawing it would wake her up. I was so wrong. As I removed it, she happily slipped under it, resting a cheek and a hand on my chest.

Spinning had caused me to lean back, and I now rested against the back corner of the couch. In the narrow wedge between my body and the back of the couch, there was a girl. She could have been anywhere else in the room. I was rather stunned, not knowing what to do, especially because I didn't hate it.

Gently, cautiously, I lowered my arm from the back of the couch to her side. I felt her steady breathing, suddenly becoming aware that all of my attention was on her. It was time to go to bed. But first…

Tenderly, I reached out with my other hand, catching her chin and bringing her face to mine. She didn't resist, keeping her eyes closed. I closed mine too, ready to feel her sweet lips on mine once more. All of her filled me with a dangerous pleasure, one that could be distracting and addicting. I couldn't have that. But I could have tonight. After all Pegasus had said and done, I _would_ have it.

Pulling back, I opened my eyes. "Come to bed with me," I prompted.

Opening her light eyes to my fierce ones, she only looked at me, considering this. Then I realized, because of her idiotic brother, she may have been questioning what my motives and expectations were, so I followed up with, "You're tired."

It seemed I had been right as I felt her ease a bit and she answered simply, "I would like that."

I closed my laptop and she slowly got up, followed by me. As I turned, I again offered my hand, which she took, and I led her through the darkness. When we reached the step before my bed, I picked up her tired body, then carefully laid her down.

As I laid down beside her, she rolled over, tangling herself back into my arms. I accepted this, looking down at the girl. Having another here, in my world and pressed against me, did not feel as I thought it would. It still felt strange, yet I was surprisingly comfortable at the same time. I looked Jem over, now peacefully asleep in my arms.

There was a girl in my bed. Stunned, I kept repeating it over in my mind, as though the next time I said it, I would know what to do about it. Though I wasn't sure what to do, I knew what I wanted to do.

While she was here, I examined her. I had never been so close to something I found so beautiful and fragile-looking before. It further stunned me that she could fall asleep so easily and peacefully in my arms. I was not known for being comforting or kind, yet here she was. I felt one hand grab the fabric of her robe in frustration, the other running along her side. Despite the robe being big on her, I could still feel her through it. Though it was just her waist, the feel of a body, especially female, was foreign to me and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

Again I tried to validate all this by attributing it to revenge on Pegasus. I wondered if she was just doing it to be vengeful too, though I didn't much care.

It was then that I remembered the beach. She knew. She knew only too well how it felt. For a long time I felt like Gozaburo had broken me, but everything that I thought was broken, though purposefully for strength, she found endearing. I wondered if she felt broken in the same way, though I didn't see it. I didn't see anything wrong with her, no matter how hard I tried. She was dangerously perfect.

For a brief moment, in the privacy of my thoughts, I allowed myself to think about what it would be like if I didn't fight this. I wouldn't have to be so careful with requests of her… or where I laid my hands. It wouldn't be hard to keep her out of the public eye as she was so shy anyway, which was important based on how far my enemies went. I thought she would understand that I wouldn't be taking her on dates, we wouldn't be going to see a movie or even out to dinner. Although, based on what I knew about her upbringing, she probably didn't even know of this norm or have any expectations around it. Yet she would probably want time with me. She came to visit me each night on the island. Yes, to check in about leaving, but she didn't need to stay as long as she did if that was the only motive. I wasn't sure I would even have time for her.

I wasn't one to do anything casually either. I either meant what I was doing or didn't bother with it entirely. But goddammit was she beautiful. Though I hadn't predicted any of this, now that I had touched her I couldn't deny that I liked it. But how much I liked her was exactly the problem. She would be distracting and consuming, and it would be dangerous for both of us. Though perhaps with Pegasus, being with me was less dangerous for her, though that was hardly my problem.

I knew myself, and I knew there was no way I could let this progress, but I could compromise. For her safety and Pegasus' dissatisfaction, I could take measures that would keep her safer. Perhaps if any of these thoughts lingered and I still cared I'd look into it. Though my desire had only been getting worse for a long time…

The more I tried to suppress it, the more I wanted her, and I didn't know what to do, but I knew she was here, and I knew I didn't hate it. I realized part of what tormented me so much was the feeling that I had to make some definitive decision now. Being romantically involved with someone went against all reasoning, but I also wasn't in the practice of denying myself things I wanted. So far I just hadn't wanted a girl. It wasn't something I had to decide tonight, though. I could give it more time to see if the feelings dissipated. I hadn't known her that long, so hopefully she did something soon that would turn me off to her, but in the meantime, if I kept her close I could keep her as an option. I could leave it at that for now.

Though my mind felt somewhat tormented by this, it was only a very small part. Most of me was tuned in to how much satisfaction I was getting from her being here, _right_ here. I was still dressed in my basic black. With her eyes closed and in the white robe, she blended into my pure white room, and it almost looked as though I was holding nothing. But she was close enough that I could see her soft features and the feeling of her body against mine assured me that she was really there.

Perhaps there had been a part of me that hungered for this. A part that I had gotten so successful at ignoring that I didn't even realize the longing until it was being satisfied. Tonight I would allow that hunger to be fed. It felt nice, and I deserved it after all of the bullshit I'd been through. Losing to Yugi had really screwed with me after living my whole life completely undefeated. Then to lose Mokuba and lose to Pegasus… But now I was recovering. Taking her was a definite win in my war with Pegasus. He might have bested me in that duel when he cheated, but losing this battle would devastate him more than before.

She adjusted in her sleep, grabbing my shirt and snuggling even closer to me, her cheek on my chest and feet entwining with mine. She seemed so sweet and peaceful as I gazed at her, as she always did, at least until someone else interrupted us. I resurfaced the thought I had shaken when discovering her in the castle, now admiring how natural being in my arms came to her. For the first time in a long time, I felt very serene and drifted off to sleep faster than I ever had. Tonight, she was my prize, and this was how I wanted to celebrate my victory.

 **So? Did you like it? Was it better? Why/why not?  
All feedback is so very appreciated. I hope you enjoyed it.**

✲´*。.❄¨¯`*✲。❄。*。¨¯`*✲

* * *

 **Next Fic: It's Never That Easy**

It only gets more real as the series continues. The next is a simple fluff story, warnings for sexuality. It's something I went back and wrote feeling the original first fic and _Seto's Silver Ace_ needed some bridging, and also to write about them more, and some more Jude time since he tends to be my most beloved character.

It's in the process of being updated, more details inside


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